Fighting a war from prison
by Kalerin
Summary: What better way to get information from your enemy then a spy? But Cloud has got to be the most unique spy ever. After all, he never leaves his cell. Multi pairings but mostly CloudxSephiroth. Written mostly for Dragi. Good Zack, don't worry.
1. Prologue

Sobbing, Cloud couldn't stop himself from rocking against his partner. There was no pleasure in his moves but he knew that if he didn't move it would just be worse. Although, really, how rape could get worse he didn't know. When he felt the sudden jerk he nearly cried out in relief as the other man released inside him. It was over. Gaia be praised, it was over.

The blonde was so numb he didn't even notice when the other man ripped out of him and shoved him to the ground. He just curled up in a ball, his arms around his stomach as he sobbed. Though he could hear someone speaking he couldn't focus on the words. Surely by now they knew that.

It took a few hours but Cloud finally forced himself back to reality. He was alone once more as he forced himself to his feet. Dully he looked around his cell, wary of any lingering items. After all, his tormentors liked to leave traps for him. The last thing he wanted to do was trip one. But when he saw nothing he limped over to his measly excuse of a cot and fell on it. His lower body throbbed in pain but he grit his teeth and bore it. He'd suffered worse though he couldn't remember when.

Laying on his back, Cloud tried to remember how this had all started. For a moment his mind was hazy but then he recalled his purpose. A slight smile tugged at his lips when he remembered. If only these wretched people knew who they were holding. He'd take great pleasure in telling them someday. Not right then, obviously, for he was still in their clutches. But someday he'd be free and as soon as he was he'd rub it in their faces. It would be the perfect revenge.

A slight twinge near his stomach made the blonde wince. True, he wouldn't ever truly be free of what happened here. Although, if it was as he thought it was, things wouldn't be to bad. Tense, yes. Awkward, definitely. But not bad.

A clang made the blonde look up. His body wanted to jump up but he couldn't manage that much movement just then. The guard stepped in, hood pulled up as always. They closed the door before stalking over to the helpless boy. Yes, he was still a boy despite everything.

Cloud stayed tense until the mouth of his guard suddenly turned up in a smile. Relieved, the blonde relaxed and smiled back. "Hello Krysta," he rasped, his voice still raw from his screams. The guard simply pulled their hood down. Their sharp eyes trailed over his body but Cloud couldn't manage to feel awkward. After the last two years he was used to it.

"Cloud," the guard whispered, kneeling down beside him. They didn't say anymore, just gently stroked his hair. The boy closed his eyes, letting the peace fill him. He knew it wouldn't be long before one of the other tormenters showed up. After all, he'd only been raped twice that day. He had at least five more to go before he hit normal.

"That's the last one," Krysta suddenly whispered though their movements never faltered. Cloud cracked a single eye open to glare at them. He didn't want to hear empty promises. He'd resigned himself to his fate months ago. There was no reason for the guard to offer him false hope. But said guard saw the glare and smiled grimly.

"I mean it Cloud," they insisted. "That was the last one. Ever. I know you won't believe me for now but hear me. You will never be raped again. This ends today."

Voices came from the hall, making the guard glare at the door. Though they obviously didn't want to leave they flipped their hood back up and left. Cloud was again alone and he tried to fade in to sleep but his mind was churning. Despite his best efforts, he held out hope that the guard was right. That this was the last time. He rested his hand on his stomach once more as a single tear escape.

Please Gaia, let Krysta be right.


	2. Planning

Growling, Cloud threw the papers down in disgust. Wrong info again! He'd sent his men out, though reluctantly, because he'd been assured the information was accurate. Every one of his advisors had assured him that it couldn't be wrong. So what happened? It was so wrong that they had lost every man they sent out!

Silent, Cloud mused about what had happened. There had to be a way to get foolproof information. Spies were the obvious answer but his opponent was to smart for that to work. They spread so many rumors that Cloud's spies didn't know what to believe. He always ended up with conflicting reports and had to act on either the most logical or most mentioned. Then it would often turn out that the real plan wasn't mentioned at all.

To angry to sit, the blonde got up and started pacing his tent. There just had to be a way to fix this. He had to figure it out quickly. There was no way his army would be able to last more then a year if things didn't change. Things would need to change and fast if they were to have any chance of winning.

Hearing a rustle Cloud tensed for a moment before he realized who came in. Relaxing, he smiled tightly at his friend. "Hello Krysta."

Krysta nodded to him before sprawling on one of the many couches in his office. Her blue eyes watched as the blonde continued to pace. She still found it hard to believe that Cloud was their leader. After all, he was only a kid. Well, teen, but still. His sixteenth birthday had only been a couple days ago. How had someone so young managed to lead a whole rebellion? That was the general question when it came to the blonde. Krysta knew though. She'd seen the blonde in action and knew why he was in charge. After all, she'd been trained her whole life to be a fighter and she balked at the very idea of facing off against him. In battle he was all steel and blood and death.

Turning away from her friend, Krysta allowed her gaze to wander about the room. There were maps pinned up on any and every surface, some with pins in them, some blank. All of them depicting different parts of both continents. One map in particular drew her attention because it had slashes in it. That would be the sight of their last battle.

"We've got to do something," she said suddenly, hearing Cloud grunt at her. "Any thoughts?" He just shook his head and kept pacing. Sighing, Krysta decided to ignore him, instead choosing to write down her report. She was only fifteen herself so she still had to attend school. Didn't exactly make sense considering she was second in command but she obeyed. After all, Cloud was the commander and he still did his classes. So, with one ear cocked for any sudden noise, she wrote her report.

_How we got where we are now_

_Twelve years ago a power company led by the energy tycoon ShinRa learned how to harness the power of the planet's Lifestream to create power. The power produced was amazing and led to many great advancements as well as making life easier for nearly everyone. However, certain people spoke out against the use of the power. They claimed that it was wrong to take energy from the planet itself. The majority never took them seriously, believing that it would not affect the planet in any way._

_The majority was wrong._

_After five years it became obvious that the planet was starting to die. Scientists all over the world tried to figure out why and in the end they figured it out. ShinRa Power Company was sucking the very life out the planet. Once the results came out the people were in uproar. What was the purpose of living easy lives now if it simply hastened the end of their world? But ShinRa didn't want to listen. They sent out their army, known as SOLDIER, to eliminate any who spoke against them. Within months of the revelation nearly all who knew the cause were dead. Nearly, but not quiet all._

_Those who survived decided to take action. They very carefully started to build their own army. Somewhere down the line they became known as AVALANCHE. Once they were strong enough AVALANCHE started fighting back. Though they caught the SOLDIERS off guard things started to go downhill quickly. Though AVALANCHE had greater numbers they didn't even approach the level of training that the SOLDIERS went through. Yet somehow they managed to hold their own._

_Five years ago the old leader of AVALANCHE, Elfe, decided to resign her position. After all, she was far from young and wasn't able to lead as she once had. Before she stepped down she reviewed the reports on every high member to choose her replacement. The reports did not have ages so she, unknowingly, chose Cloud Strife who at that time was only eleven years old. Even once she knew his age Elfe stood by her decision. Of course, her choice was met with an uproar. Everyone refused to accept a mere child as the leader of the army._

_Cloud was ultimately the one to end it. He said that any who wished to challenge him for the title of leader could. The challenger could even choose what he was challenged in, combat or strategies. Many people took the challenge, believing it would be easy. However, none of them managed to defeat Cloud. By the time it was done every member of AVALANCHE accepted him with open arms. So, in relief, Elfe passed the title of leader to Cloud and stepped down. Cloud's first official act was to make his old partner, Krysta Storm, his second in command. There was light grumbling as Krysta was younger then even Cloud, being only ten, but she quickly silenced them all by proving herself as Cloud had done._

_Now, Cloud Strife is still the leader of AVALANCHE. He has managed to advance AVALANCHE in ways that Elfe could only dream of. It has even gotten to the point where SOLDIERS shudder at the mention of his or Krysta's name. Both have sworn to lead the rebellion until they either die or believe that others could be better leaders. But if you listen to the opinions of their army, that day is long in coming._

Putting her pencil down, Krysta glanced at the clock. Half an hour. Hmm…she hadn't thought it would be so long for her to write such a simple report. Not that it actually mattered. In any case, she simply closed her notebook and resumed watching Cloud. She instantly noticed a burning in his eyes. He had a plan. But considering he hadn't alerted her right away she was willing to bet he didn't want to tell her.

"What is it?" she finally asked, his eyes darting over to her. "I know you have a plan. Spit it out."

"It's not a plan," Cloud tried to hedge even though he knew it was pointless. "It was just a random thought. Don't worry; I have no intention of acting on it."

"Why not?" Krysta demanded to know, sitting up. "Cloud, we need to do something. The spies are failing miserably. If we don't come up with a way to get reliable information we'll lose. SOLDER has been worn down; we need to do this now! What ever your thought, don't dismiss it just because you don't like it." Seeing how serious she was Cloud finally nodded and sat across from her.

"SOLDIER is smart," he said quietly, hoping no one would overhear. He knew there had to be spies among his own people. "They know how important spies are so they make sure that none but the highest ranked people actually know what is going to happen. Everywhere else they just spread rumors and hearsay. That's why we're having so much trouble. But there is one place where that doesn't happen. In the prisoner cells. All of our spies agree, the high ranked SOLDIERS who actually know the plans brag about them all the time to the prisoners. In that one area they don't try to deceive."

"I think I know where this is going," Krysta said, leaning back. She always had been rather quick to pick up on Cloud's plots. "You want to get one of our people captured so that they'll go to those cells. Then, whenever they hear about what is coming next they can get word out somehow. Right?" Cloud just nodded. "Pretty clever. I'm pretty sure SOLDIER would never think of it. I mean honestly, who ever heard of a spy who just stays in one room all day." Thinking it over Krysta's eyes went frosty. "Cloud, you and I both know that it is common practice for SOLDIERS to beat and rape their prisoners. We can't ask any of our men to willingly go through that."

"We won't," Cloud said firmly. For a moment Krysta thought he meant that he wasn't going through with it. "That's because I'll be the one going."

"Oh well that's fine," Krysta said, not really thinking. Then Cloud's words hit home. "What? No you will not!"

"Who else can I send?" the blonde asked, settling back down behind his desk. "You're right; the risks are to high to ask someone else to do it. However, we need this. We need to get someone in so that they can get us the information. I will not ask it of anyone else so I will go myself."

"You're our leader," Krysta snapped, her eyes snapping in anger. "We need you here to lead us. Besides, if SOLDIER ever found out who they had they would kill you without a second thought."

"They won't know," Cloud argued. "I've never gone into a battle without disguising my identity, you know this. Everyone knows my name but no one knows what I look like. I'll fashion a new name and everything will be fine. On the other note, you can lead AVALANCHE just as well as I. We both know the only reason you aren't already leader is because you didn't challenge me. If you had I would have lost."

"I never wanted the title of leader," Krysta groused before scowling. He'd managed to get them off topic. "AVALANCHE will know Cloud. If you suddenly disappear there will be a huge uproar. SOLDIER will take advantage of that. How are you going to get around it?"

"Easy," Cloud said firmly. "I'll tell everyone that I'm going on a special mission that could take quite a while to finish. I'll maintain radio contact with you somehow and you'll pass on my 'orders' based on the information you get. And since you and I are about the same size and build you can dress like me and take my place in battles. No one will be the wiser."

Scowling, Krysta scrambled for another argument but couldn't find one. Cloud had covered every angle. Besides, she knew that look. He was going through with it one way or another.

"Fine," she sighed, glaring the whole time. "You'll be the one to get caught. But I'll be damned if I let you go in there alone. A friend of mine works as a guard for SOLDIER. Of course, my friend doesn't know I'm in AVALANCHE but that's beside the point. I'm sure if I talk to her she can arrange for me to guard you. That way you can tell me what you learn and I can radio it back here. Also, guards can leave for extended times so I can manage to be you in a few battles."

Cloud made to argue when he saw the glint in his friend's eyes. She wasn't going to back down. Truthfully, he'd been lucky she'd agreed at all. And her plan did make things easier. So, reluctantly, he nodded.

"Gather Barret and the others," he said tiredly, leaning back. "Only the inner circle. We'll need to explain things to them and then get ready. When can we move?"

"I'll call my friend today," Krysta answered, already running through everything she needed to do in her mind. "It should only take a day to set that up. After such a major loss it will probably be a week before we can strike at SOLDIER again but if they strike sooner we'll manage it then. By the time this meeting is over everything should be in place." Grimly, Cloud nodded and watched as his friend left. Sighing, he leaned back and stared at the ceiling.

The things he did for the cause.

XxXxXxXxX

_Babble time: Whew. Got it out. Since I'm working on two stories at the exact same time I wasn't sure I would. Anyway, I think this one is going to be interesting. Shall we see where it goes? On to the reviews!_

_CreotiaFlayier: You guessed right! Cloud is the leader of AVALANCHE. It may take a few chapters but it will get back to the level of darkness in the prologue. Promise._

_Broken Angel1816: Welcome back. I hope I keep you interested throughout the story. Don't hesitate to make any suggestions._

_xYukiYukiSaiSaix: Lol, welcome back. Yo? Are you Reno in disguise? Lol, jk. Thanks for keeping her! Free hugs!_

_Thanks for reading! TTFN!_


	3. Leta t yon rel

Cloud tried to ignore Krysta as he ate. Things had been tense between the two since he'd proposed his plan. Of course, compared to the rest of the inner circle, she had taken it fairly well. Yes, she growled and snapped at him still but she was doing her best to help him. Of course, she blew it all off as being his SiC. It was her job as she stated time and time again. The only reason Cloud didn't take her to task for her surliness was because he knew it only existed because she worried about him. If she didn't care she would be acting normally.

"There is no better choice," he finally said, hoping she wouldn't take him to task yet again. He heard her sigh even though he refused to look at her.

"I know that Cloud. Believe me, I know. I've been trying to think of something else ever since you told me and nothing has come up. That doesn't mean I have to like it nor do I need to agree with you doing it." Silence fell again as both teens allowed themselves to drift into thought.

"Leta t yon rel," Krysta suddenly said. Cloud glanced up at her, a single brow arched. She just smiled and shook her head. "Something the Cetra used to tell me all the time." Though he wanted to ask Cloud chose not to. He knew his friend had been raised in the last Cetra village. She herself wasn't a Cetra but for some reason she'd been taken in. Every now and then she'd slip back into that personality even though she didn't like it. Kept claiming that the last thing AVALANCHE needed was a Cetra SiC. Of course, she always made sure that Aerith wasn't around when she said it. After all, Aerith was the last of the Cetra and her adopted older sister. The one and only person she actually feared.

"You'll remember it, right?" she said, again suddenly. This time Cloud actually jerked in surprise. "Leta t yon rel. Remember it. Please." Cloud gazed at her for a moment before nodding.

"Alright then," he promised, seeing her relax. Before anymore could be said there was a sudden explosion. Testament to the lives they had lived, neither teen so much as jerked at the sound. Krysta just glared at her cup before standing. Cloud groaned and did the same. "Guess SOLDIER decided to attack."

"No duh," his friend drawled, a scowl on her face. "Get out there. Remember, your only job is to get captured. Therefore act stupid but not stupid enough to die. If it comes down to the point that you can't get caught, if the choice is either you live or die, fight like the maniac I know you are and beat feet back here. We'll try again later." Seeing Cloud wince her scowl deepened. "I'm serious Cloud. I'm willing to go along with this because I know it's ultimately for the best. We're out of options. But I will not risk you more then I must. AVALANCHE needs you alive so you better do your best to come back alive."

"Understood," Cloud said with a mock salute before he ran out of the building. He could already see people running around, including Tifa. She saw him at the same time and ran over. Though she was loathe to let her friend go through with the plan she knew there was no choice. Instead she volunteered to be Cloud's backup, ensuring that he actually survived the battle. So, with a tight nod, she fell in behind and followed him to the battlefield.

XxXxXxXxX

Sighing, Krysta finished tying up her supports. How Cloud fought in this stuff she'd never know. Although, she had to admit, once it was on it wasn't much of a hindrance. It restricted her range just a hair and the hood messed with her vision slightly but she knew everything would be fine. After all, she'd gone through the same training as Cloud. Just, unlike the blonde, she'd chucked the outfit as soon as possible.

Stopping just long enough to grab First Tsurugi she finally stepped out into the battle. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and let her energy flow change. In her minds eye she could see the life of everything around her. Ignoring anything dead or dieing she took note of the battle. AVALANCHE was holding their own, just as they always had. Still, as soon as she saw the life that nearly burned mako green she gulped. General Sephiroth was here. Frantically, she searched for Cloud. She had to warn him. Sephiroth was famous for not taking prisoners. If she acted fast then maybe she could call her friend back.

Finding Cloud, a shock of bright red amongst all the gray, she gently tapped his mind. Instantly she felt his barriers rise but the fell when they recognized her own black light.

_What happened?_ Cloud asked, knowing it had to be serious for her to seek him out.

'Sephiroth is here,' she replied, keeping an eye on the blazing green. 'He's on the other end of the battle line at the moment but be careful. You know he doesn't take prisoners.'

_Is there any main SOLDIER here that would take prisoners?_ he asked back. If he could get caught by one of them surely the General would leave him be. He waited for a moment for Krysta to scan the battle.

'I found one,' she said suddenly. 'He's near where you are now. His color is…yellow. Huh, I think it's commander Zachery Fair." Cloud groaned at that. He didn't like the raven head all that much. Last time they'd fought the goof had accused Cloud of trying to take over the world so that he could hog all the eggnog. There was something seriously messed up with him. But he was also well known for his taking prisoners if the enemy surrendered. Since he was Sephiroth's SiC the General turned a blind eye to those men. It was his best bet.

_Guide me,_ he commanded and Krysta proceeded to do just that. It wasn't until Cloud actually engaged in a battle with Zack that she pulled away. For better or for worse, he was on his own now. Taking a deep breath, Krysta steeled herself to what she was about to do.

"Leta t yon rel," she whispered one last time before charging to the battle.

XxXxXxXxX

A pounding headache slowly roused Cloud from the darkness of sleep. He wanted to scowl at the pain but kept his face smooth. From the chatter around him he already knew where he was. Everything had gone smoothly. He'd fought Zachery for a while, let the raven get slightly impressed, then pulled a special stunt that looked like a mistake and, once disarmed, surrendered. Just as he'd hoped, Fair had been impressed enough to simply capture him instead of killing him. But he'd still knocked the blonde out by smacking his head with the flat side of his blade.

Slowly, the blonde let his mind spread. His master had beat it into him a long time ago to use his mind when he couldn't use his body. He wasn't anywhere near as good as Krysta but he was acceptable. So, silently, he let his mid touch everything around him. For the most part all he could see was rather dull fire that marked weaker life. Most were gray though he could the glimpse of a color every now and then. He also found all the true SOLDIERS, knowing them by how bright their fire's burned. None of them reacted as his mind brushed theirs. If only he was as good as Krysta! She would have been able to actually enter their minds and learn from them. Cloud had never managed to master that particular ability.

Seeing a blaze of blue, Cloud reached out. The second he touched the mind though he felt the defenses spring up. He jerked his mind away, fleeing back to his body. Already he could feel the other mind searching for him. 'Dummy,' he berated himself inside. He hadn't thought others would know the skill but he still shouldn't have risked it. When the blue mind passed by he had to resist throwing up his own walls. All he could hope for was that the person wouldn't enter his mind. Luck was with him as the blue vein just lightly brushed him before moving on.

Suddenly Fair's yellow fire flared up. Cloud had just enough to brace himself before he was wrenched to his feet. Acting surprised, his eyes flew open to be met by the dancing purple eyes of his captor.

"Hey chocobo, you're awake," the man just about chirped. Inwardly, Cloud gagged. Was this really the SiC of SOLDIER? He acted like a little kid! And seriously, chocobo?

Zack spotted Sephiroth coming over so he leant close to the blonde's ear and whispered. "Nice mind trick you got there but you probably shouldn't do it again. Tseng is now aware that someone can do it and Sephiroth wouldn't be caught unaware." When the raven pulled back he was surprised by the fierce glare on the prisoner's face. Now that he knew Fair knew he didn't have to act quit so much.

"I'd never by stupid enough nor sick enough to touch the General," Cloud hissed, marking the progress of said man. "I expected him to be sharp enough to feel me. What I wasn't expecting was the leader of the Turk's showing up. Had I known I wouldn't have touched him either." Just then Sephiroth got within hearing distance and Cloud snapped his mouth shut. He should Fair one last glare before his whole countance changed. In just a second he turned into a frightened prisoner, same as everyone else. Zack could only stare in shock for a second before the General was upon them.

"Zack," he greeted, gazing at the blonde. He noticed the terror in the man's eyes and smirked. It was always fun scaring the trash. Although he had to admit, the blonde was rather comely. That soft blonde hair, big blues eyes, decidedly girly figure. Yes, the boy was certainly easy on the eyes.

"Hey Seph," the raven replied, already wary of the look his friend was giving the prisoner. "Just caught this guy in the last battle. He actually gave me a good fight for a few minutes." Sephiroth arched a brow at that. When it came to fighting Zack was rather reserved with his praise. "They were just about to load him onto the prison truck."

Cloud tensed though it was all inwardly. He couldn't go to the prison. That would defeat the whole purpose of being captured. He'd be to far away from the SOLDIERS to learn anything. Besides, there were so many AVALANCHE members in the prison now. They'd recognize him and then his life would be forfeit.

"No," Sephiroth said, still eyeing the boy. He really did like what he saw. "Have him brought to the cells within the tower."

"Not to be rude but why?" Zack asked though he already knew. He'd seen that look before. His heart sunk when the General smirked at him.

"Because my last toy finally managed to kill himself."

Cloud froze, panic flooding his mind. He wasn't a fool; he knew what that meant. Everyone knew that the General took certain prisoners and made them sex toys. The only good thing was that he could be called loyal, taking only one toy at a time. He'd been assured that the man's current toy was alive and well. Curse his worthless spies.

For a second Cloud was about to reach out to Krysta. He couldn't go through with it now. It was one thing to be a prisoner and pass info but now…no! He wouldn't let the General degrade him in such a way! But before he could do anything Tseng suddenly appeared. Cloud nearly growled at the sight. The Turk's mind was still searching for him. He couldn't risk a call right now. As the men talked around him Cloud gulped quietly.

What had he gotten himself into?

XxXxXxXxX

_Babble time: The plot thickens. In case any of you are wondering, the color thing will be explained in a later chapter but yes, it is important._

_CreotiaFlayier: I totally don't mind if you guess right. Actually, I love it when people do that. But…sorry, you missed this time. There will be smut but this is not a happy fic. Seph is not the knight in shining armor. More like he's the bad guy. So if you only like fics where Seph and Cloud fall in love you're gonna have to wait a while. But I promise, the smut will begin next chapter._

_Broken Angel1816: Lol, yes I do love names that start with 'K'. Probably because my name starts with 'K'. Sorta biased on that point. Hope you continue to enjoy!_

_Thanks for reading! TTFN!_


	4. I'm not dirty

Cloud winced as he was shoved in his cell. Glaring, he looked around, partly impressed. It looked more like a hotel room then a cell. He had an actual bed and even a couch. There were a couple chairs and a desk in the corner. If he hadn't known for a fact that he was a prisoner he'd have been worried. As it was, he just scoffed. It didn't escape his notice that there was nothing there that would allow him to injure himself. No glass to cut himself with, no cloth to strangle himself with. True, he could probably use the thread that held the mattress and couch together but there was no need. He was a spy; he wouldn't commit suicide.

Grumbling since he was still handcuffed, the blonde flopped onto the couch and looked around. Already he was going a little crazy. Everything was white. Pristine white, as far as he could see. It was going to drive him insane! Desperate, he cautiously let his mind wander. He didn't want to alert Tseng to his activities and apparently Zack could at least feel what he was doing but he suddenly had this burning need to talk to Krysta.

_Krysta? Are you there?_ It took a while but Cloud finally felt the black fire brush against his mind.

'I'm here. Actually, I'm being shown around the place right now. Reeve thought I should see the whole cell area before we got to you.'

_Reeve? Reeve Tuesti? Head of Urban Development? What the hell are you doing with him?_

'Uh, yeah, remember that friend I told you about? The one who'd get me into the guards?' Cloud felt a muscle in his face twitch.

_Not…you couldn't mean…YOU'RE FRIENDS WITH REEVE TUSETI?_

'Umm…yes?'

_And just WHEN were you planning on telling me?_

'I wasn't, actually. Cloud, chill out. Urban Development is a really small department. He wouldn't have been any help to us. Besides…he's the one who found me after the Cetra. I didn't want to put him in danger.'

Sighing, Cloud nodded, knowing she would feel it. Really, he wasn't that mad at her. He himself had a dear friend in ShinRa and hadn't told anyone. Of course, his friend was a lot more dangerous then hers. Not only in terms of literal meaning but also because of the current situation. After all, there was a chance his friend would turn him in.

About to soothe Krysta Cloud jumped when she suddenly jerked her mind away. He was instantly alert. It was common courtesy not to hastily leave a mental discussion. It was also dangerous. For her to break such a common rule, something had to be happening.

Just then the door opened and none other then General Sephiroth walked in. Cloud nearly scowled before he remembered that he was supposed to be a cowering prisoner. Though he inwardly ground his teeth in frustration outwardly he played the part perfectly. He trembled slightly, not to much otherwise it would look fake, and his gaze instantly met the floor. Still, he couldn't help a true shudder when he heard the man chuckle. He vaguely felt Krysta's mind keeping close but knew it was pointless. There wasn't anything she could do.

The blonde just barely heard Sephiroth move forward and pretended to jump in shock when the man grabbed his arm. He really jumped though when he was thrown across the room. Despite his body's protests he allowed the throw and took the impact. Even when he felt his body spasm in pain he knew he'd made the right choice. Sephiroth was looking downright cheerful. For him anyway.

"Good," the man purred, actually purred! Cloud shivered and tried to shift away, hoping that it looked like he was nervous and not disgusted. "For a moment I was sure you were actually a competent fighter. But you're the same as all the other trash, aren't you?" Cloud nearly snapped again but bit his tongue just in time. This was a really bad time to inform the man just _who_ he had as a prisoner.

Seeing a sudden spark in the older man's eyes, Cloud gulped. He knew what was going to happen. He'd never heard of it happening so soon but what else could he do? It had been a risk from the very beginning.

Sephiroth stalked forward, grabbing the blonde and throwing him again, this time on to the bed. Despite himself, Cloud tried to roll away only to be grabbed and pinned to the mattress. He whimpered when his pants were ripped off but outright screamed when the General thrust in with no warning. After that he bit his lips, refusing to make any other noise as he was mercilessly thrust into. The bed groaned as it rocked, making Cloud slightly sick. Although, maybe that could be blamed on the whole situation.

"Be glad you were caught now," Sephiroth grunted as he slammed into the boy. "Today was just a probing attack. It's past time we crushed your stupid cause once and for all so in thee days we're attacking with every SOLDIER we have. Praise your star that."

Finally, he felt the man above him spasm and was instantly disgusted as he was filled with the man's seed. Sighing, he let go of his lip, wincing at the taste of blood. He felt the General pull out of him and heard the man leave but didn't move. His mind was in to much turmoil to comprehend something as simple as movement.

It hadn't been that bad. After all, it was so sudden that he hadn't really had time to dread it. And it had gone by really fast so there wasn't much to remember. So…why did he feel so dirty? Why did he feel like sobbing into the pillows? Why did he suddenly have this intense desire to never see anyone again?

Why was he afraid that Krysta would hate him now?

'I don't hate you.'

Blinking, Cloud turned just as the door started opening. He instantly tried to move away but pain lanced up his spine. Instead he could only watch in fear as a guard stepped in. The guard waved at someone outside before closing the door. Only once it was closed did they lower their hood, making Cloud sigh in relief.

"Krysta."

The girl nodded, biting her lip. Every instinct she had demanded she race over and help the blonde. She could clearly see the blood and semen dripping out of him as well as the bruises on his body from being thrown into the wall. More then that, she could feel his pain. He was her Sh'Adi after all. But because of that she knew he didn't want anyone near him just then. Instead, she slowly made her way to the couch and sat down, trying to move smoothly. His mind was already half way to attack mode with panic. If she made even the smallest of threatening moves he'd snap.

Settled on the couch, Krysta just watched as the blonde closed his eyes and tried to tug his mind back together. He winced every time he shifted and she couldn't help a wince of her own on occasion. Finally it grew to be to much.

"Let me take some of the pain," she whispered, wincing at his instant glare. "Cloud, come on. Let me take it. I can already feel it and you can't bear it all. At least, not if you want to stay sane. I'm your Le'Tran. It's my job." Cloud kept glaring but finally nodded. Krysta had to bite her lip to hold back her cry of pain but managed. After a few deep breaths she got it under control again and went over to him. Gently she shifted him so his head was in her lap, her back against the wall. They stayed like that for a moment before Cloud grunted and rolled slightly to look her in the face.

"They're attacking in three days," he rasped, making her stiffen. Instantly her eyes went cold as she shifted back into SiC mode.

"How many?" she asked, already planning everything they'd need to do.

"Every SOLDIER they have," he replied, watching her face. That's what he loved most about his best friend. Around most people she was a blank wall as far as expressions. One wouldn't know if she was going to marry them or murder them. But around him alone she allowed all her thoughts to show. He could almost watch her thoughts race around her face as she put everything were it needed to go. Of course, she was his Le'Tran. This was normal for them. Speaking of Le'Tran.

"I think we should break the bond," he said quietly. Instantly her eyes snapped to his, disbelief and rage showing clearly, making him wince.

"Why the hell did you just say that?" she hissed, all thoughts of planning gone. For the briefest of moments the blonde remembered that his friend was just as deadly as he was.

"It's not fair to you," he whispered, seeing her thoughts freeze. She obviously wasn't expecting that. Slowly he raised a hand to touch her face, letting her see his emotions for a change. "Krysta, this is going to become more frequent. You and I both know this wasn't a one time thing. Prisoner's get raped; we knew that going in. Worse yet, the General took a 'liking' to me. While on the subject, let's not forget the beatings that are also the norm. I'm ready and willing to take that but it's not fair for you to suffer as well. So for now, we should break the bond."

Krysta stared for a moment more before sighing and leaning into his touch. A sad smile touched her lips as she shook her head.

"Idiot," she whispered. "I knew the risks when I took you as my Sh'Adi. This has been the risk ever since we joined AVALANCHE. This is also the time you need me the most. I'm not backing out. Besides, on our own neither of us could survive this. Together, we have a chance."

"How can you not hate me?" he asked, confusion on his face. "How can you not think that I'm the dirtiest thing on the planet. Gaia knows, I certainly feel that way."

Gently, Krysta combed his hair with her fingers. "My mother was raped," she said quietly. "That's how I was born. From a rape. Cloud, if you're dirty because you were raped I'm dirtier because I'm the result of rape." Cloud moved to argue but Krysta shook her head. "Don't Cloud. I got over that thought a long time ago. Mother always said that while she'd do anything to go back and avoid the rape she wouldn't trade me for anything. The point is, if I'm not dirty, you aren't either." She gently kissed his brow and smiled. "We'll get through this."

Hearing noise outside Krysta slid out from under Cloud and pulled her hood back up. She nodded to him once before ducking out of the room quickly. The blonde stared at the door for a moment before closing his eyes. He needed rest even though he wasn't in near as much pain as he had been. In fact, he was in less pain then he should have been. Seemed Krysta had taken more when he was relaxed. Smirking, Cloud allowed himself to fall asleep. Subconsciously, three words repeated again and again like a mantra.

_I'm not dirty…I'm not dirty…I'm not dirty…I'm not dirty…_

XxXxXxXxX

_Babble time: Okay then! This is turning interesting. Don't bother asking about the whole Sh'Adi and Le'Tran thing. That will be explained soon. And I know a lot of you are glaring at me now for the rather abysmal sex scene. I promise, a much more satisfying one will be in the next chapter. I just don't like writing explicit sex scenes every chapter. Still, there will be better ones soon. On to the reviews!_

_CreotiaFlayier: Well, there will be some fluff though probably not between Cloud and Sephiroth. Most likely the fluff will be between Zack and Cloud. But yes, I will try to add a lot of bandage throughout. Sorry about the horrible sex in this scene but the smut will really fly tomorrow._

_Dragi: Cloud never has any luck. Glad you started understanding though. Wouldn't do to have my readers too confused._

_Melody123: It will be a sad fic through most but I'm sort of on the fence about whether I'll make it a happy ending or not. Lol, I'll try to work Zack in more for you._

_Thanks for reading! TTFN! _


	5. Reno comes a'callin

Cloud heard the door open and nearly whimpered. It had only been a week and he was already regretting his decision. There hadn't been a day gone by that the General didn't come down and raped him. And today was no different.

Strong, cruel hands grabbed the blonde and forced him to roll over. There was real fear in his eyes as he met the gaze of the older man. It didn't help when he saw the rage in them. He shuddered, knowing it was going to be bad.

The General didn't speak as he grabbed Cloud by the hair and pulled him up. The blonde yelped in pain only to be slapped hard. If he'd learned nothing else here he'd learned that Sephiroth's slaps were more like punches.

Dazed, Cloud was forced to his knees and next thing he knew the General was shoving his cock into the blonde's mouth. Cloud gagged, not ready at all, but didn't dare bite down. It wouldn't do AVALANCHE any good if he were to die here. Instead he tried to loosen his throat muscles, not realizing he was sobbing silently. When Sephiroth grabbed his hair again and started moving his head in sync with his own thrusts Cloud nearly broke. He was not a sex toy!

A sudden jerk was the only warning he had before his mouth was flooded by the man's seed. He wanted to spit it all out but since the man was shoving his head forward he had no choice but to swallow. The taste was so bitter it just made him cry more. How much more of this could he take?

Once the man was flaccid once again he yanked Cloud away and nearly threw him back on the bed. He flipped the blonde onto this stomach before snapping handcuffs around him and the bedposts. Cloud panicked, frantically pulling at the cuffs as he felt the General move behind him. For the first time ever he pleaded.

"No, no, please no," he sobbed as his legs were pulled apart. "Please no, please, not again, no, no, please no." His pleas fell on deaf ears as Sephiroth snapped his hips forward, burying himself in one thrust. Cloud bit his lip hard to keep from screaming. He knew the man did this only to get a response. If he didn't get one it actually went quicker. Although the boy also knew the damage was done because of his earlier pleading.

He was right. His hips were held in a bone crushing grip as the man drove into him again and again. It didn't take long for them both to be well lubricated with the blonde's blood but that didn't lessen the pain in any way. In fact, it just drove the pain higher.

Cloud started panicking when he realized that Sephiroth was going slow. Good Gaia, he was extending it. He was extending the whole Gaia forsaken thing.

"So you noticed," the General grunted, seeing his toy stiffen. "Don't bother trying to escape boy. There is no hope. You're going to stay right where you belong until I'm satisfied." Cloud wanted to retort but didn't dare.

"You're still so tight," the man breathed, licking Cloud's neck. The blonde tried to yank away only to have his head forced back. "It's like you haven't stretched at all," the General continued, licking at the boy's neck and face. "After all this time I've spent with you I figured you'd have adapted at least slightly. Not that I'm complaining. Do you know how happy it makes me to know that anytime I want to feel like I'm fucking a virgin all I have to do is see you?" His thrusts spread up, making Cloud whimper. He was positive his insides were bruised.

"You should be crying," Sephiroth growled as he started losing control. "After all, I'm leaving in a couple hours. One of our spies reported that that Gaia forsaken Cloud Strife is attacking Junon in a few days. How surprised will he be when we're there to meet him. Really, I feel sorry for the man. His own spies are so ineffective."

Desperate to end things, Cloud suddenly clenched his ass muscles. The overload was too much and Sephiroth released. Even as he cringed in disgust to the feeling Cloud knew he'd pay for the move. When the fist landed just off his eye he almost smirked. At least it was over.

Furious, Sephiroth hurled the blanket on top of Cloud, covering his head but leaving his ass free so that anyone who came in could see the blood and semen dribble out. With that done he stalked out of the cell, slamming the door behind him. When Krysta didn't show up after a few minutes Cloud sighed and tried to sleep. It was hard with his lower back screaming and his hands cuffed to the headboard but he tried. So when the door opened again he was caught unaware.

"What's this?" a familiar voice drawled, making Cloud stiffen. No, not here, not now. Please no. "So this is the General's new toy? Seems like you're well broken in." The blonde heard the other person move about the room and wanted to cry. He didn't need this right now! "Judging from all that blood I'd guess that the General is as well endowed as they say."

"Then you take him in the ass!" Cloud snapped before mentally shooting himself. What the hell was he doing? All sound in the room stopped as he waited tensely. Then, slowly, he heard footsteps approach. The cover was pulled off and he blinked up at shocked sea green eyes.

"Cloud?" Reno whispered, utterly shell shocked. "What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were leader of AVALANCHE." Cloud just glared, making the redhead snap his mouth shut.

"I thought being a Turk would teach you tact," the blonde growled, making Reno smirk. He didn't even notice when the Turk removed the handcuffs.

"They tried," the former street rat drawled, draping himself on the couch. "Didn't take. Besides, it's not every day you see your little brother in a jail cell reserved for the General's sex toys."

"I'm not your little brother," Cloud griped but it held no malice. Reno had been calling him that since they were kids. It was more like a running joke between them. But then the blonde grew serious.

"What are you going to do?" he asked. Despite appearance, Reno was just as smart as Krysta. He knew right away what the blonde meant. So it shocked Cloud when Reno blew it off.

"Nothin'" he smirked. "Now, if Tseng were to ask me if you were my little brother, I'd say yes. If he were to ask me if you were the leader of AVALANCHE I'd say yes. But he hasn't. He asked if I knew you. I told him I wasn't sure so he sent me down to see you. Now I'll go back and he'll ask again if I know you. Then I'll tell him the truth. I don't."

"You don't," Cloud repeated incredulous. "What do you mean you don't?"

"Don't know what you're registered as," the redhead replied easily. "Since I don't know what name you're using I can't know you, right?" Understanding dawned on Cloud's face and he smiled happily.

"Thanks Reno."

"No prob man. Yo, I got to go. I'll see you soon."

Nodding, Cloud watched his friend go before settling into the bed again. He contacted Krysta briefly with the new information before fading into sleep.

XxXxXxXxX

_Babble time: Short and not really good but I'm dead beat right now. Advance warning, I'm going to a festival tomorrow then leaving for camp the day after. Therefore, there will be no updating until next Saturday. Sorry. On to the reviews!_

_Anonymouse: Glad you like it! I'm really working on making a good sex scene so just bear with me please._

_Melody123: Lol, interesting. You think Krysta helps a lot. I had another reader flame me because she was there. Oh well, guess I can't please everyone. :P_

_Dragi: Well, Sephiroth won't find out until the very end, so don't worry. But you may continue to feel sorry for Cloud. Do you like the story so far? I know you're into captive Cloud but I'm not sure how I'm doing._

_Sunset in love: Hmm…maybe? Lol, you'll all find out in time._

_CreotiaFlayier: The Sh'Adi will be explained in time. Zack will treat Cloud better but I can ask Sephiroth to have a little fluff with Cloud. See how it works out._

_Leeya: (blinks and yawns) Don't really care. I know you probably won't read this but I simply must say my part. I happen to like Krysta as do a bunch of others. She will not be leaving and if you don't like her then I am very happy that you won't read anymore. Also, thank you for the flame. It kept me warm and I made very nice s'mores. While we're on the subject; who the hell is Mary Sue? Never heard of her. Actually, scratch that. I don't care. Hopefully I'll never see you again! Have a nice life!_

_Thanks for reading! TTFN!_


	6. The Sh'Adi and Le'Tran

Weakly, Cloud forced his eyes open. His vision was a little blurry but he could see well enough to know he was alone. Out of reflex his mind reached for Krysta's but found nothing. She'd gone to stop SOLDIER's latest attempt at annihilating AVALANCHE. The bad part was that meant she wasn't there to help him. The good part was that Sephiroth wasn't there either. He was busy hunting down 'Cloud Strife'.

The door opened suddenly, making Cloud tense. He relaxed when he realized that it was just Reno. Knowing he could get away with it, he glared at the redhead. "Pushing your luck, aren't you?" he growled even though he knew the Turk would blow it off. True to form, Reno just scoffed and fell onto the couch.

"You're no fun," the older man griped, lighting one of his ever present cigarettes. "I come all the way down here to talk to you and you lecture me."

"You're a Turk," Cloud shot back. "I'm AVALANCHE. Why would you come down here to see me?" Reno looked at him in surprise before smirking and shaking his head.

"There are no listening devises down here Blondie," he chuckled. "Sephiroth doesn't want anyone to hear him rape his toys. So relax. You don't need to act with me. Really, I just came down to talk to you. It's been forever since we've talked."

"Being on opposite sides of a war can do that to people," Cloud sighed before sitting up. "Besides, it's rare for you to talk _with_ me. More often you talk _to_ me." Reno just smirked and shrugged. He wasn't going to deny the truth. But then he got serious.

"Cloud, how have you been?" he asked. "I mean, besides the obvious."

Cloud smirked at the amendment before shrugging. "Besides the obvious I'm fine. I feel like crap all the time and I swear that I'm bruised for life but it's nothing compared to what I've been through. You know that." Reno shivered but nodded. "Trust me Reno, I'll be fine. After everything I've been through this is nothing."

"You didn't go through the other stuff alone," Reno argued. Gaia, he hated when Cloud got like this. The blonde was a freakin martyr. Always quick to sacrifice himself for some noble cause or some other crap like that. "We went through that together. I'm sorry, but I can't help you this time. You're right, being with you is dangerous. I won't be able to give you the support I did back then."

"That's what Krysta is for," the blonde said easily. True, telling Reno about Krysta was taking a risk but the man had never betrayed his trust before. No reason to start now.

"Krysta?" Reno was shocked. "She's here too? Dang…you two could destroy the whole tower if you put your mind to it. Why haven't you?"

"Not the point," Strife sighed, stretching his back. "We came here to do a job and we will do it." He didn't elaborate and sighed in relief when Reno didn't press. Really, he was revealing far too much as it was.

"So can we just chat?" Reno finally asked, taking a drag of his cigarette. "I swear I won't ask for any information that could help ShinRa. I also swear I will never tell anyone what you tell me." Cloud just shrugged and lay back down, waiting for his friend. "Alright then. First question. All the other AVALANCHE prisoners we have say that Krysta is perfect. Like, literally perfect. Can't be wrong or second in anything. Is that true?"

Cloud laughed. "You're nuts, right? Krysta? Perfect?" He slowly calmed down though his eyes still danced with laughter. "I guess…to everyone else she may seem perfect. She certainly has the act down. But no, she's not perfect. She has more then enough flaws."

"Like what?" Reno asked, frowning. "Listen Spiky, I've fought her. She's perfect." Cloud just shook his head, clearly amused.

"In battle it's easy to make that mistake. But trust me, she's not perfect. Like, no one would guess this, but she is so vain. She'll spend hours dressing and then gripe when anything gets mussed. Of course, if battle strikes she jumps in right away but then I have to deal with her complaints about not having time to fix her hair or a chipped nail. Get's rather annoying actually. And she utterly loathes math. Won't do it to save her life. I'm the only commander I know who has to read the supply reports because their SiC refuses to. Oh yeah, don't get me started on her biggest flaw. She has no humor what so ever. Never makes a joke and glares whenever I do."

By this time Reno was rolling on the floor laughing. The ire in Cloud's eyes and voice were just too much. Although, there was also a certain fondness there. So, calming down, the Turk finally looked his friend in the eye. "You love her, don't you."

"Not like that," Cloud said automatically but then smiled. "Yeah, I love her. She's a great friend and though I sometimes want to strangle her I couldn't imagine life without her. True, she is better then me at a lot of stuff but there are moments when she is so naïve. After all, she grew up with the Cetra's. There's so much she doesn't know or won't do. That's why we work together."

His thoughts straying, Cloud looked down at the mark on his hand as Reno went on about something else. The mark was still there, glowing slightly. The mark that proved he was a Sh'Adi. He could still remember Krysta telling him about it. How much he had fought it then and how much he relied on it now.

"How did she get to be better then you?" Reno asked, snapping Cloud out of his daze. The blonde just held up his hand, showing the mark.

"She's my Le'Tran," he said easily then frowned when the redhead looked confused. "You don't know what a Le'Tran is, do you?" Reno shook his head, making Cloud sigh. "Alright then, pay attention. Long ago, farther then they can remember, the Cetra's decided to create two different caste's in their society. There were the Sh'Adi and the Le'Tran. The Sh'Adi were masters of a sort. They were the ones born with power and skill. The ones who could actually accomplish major goals. The Le'Tran were the servants. Their sole purpose in life was to serve the Sh'Adi and help them succeed. They had no power and were viewed as worthless on their own.

"Over time, the Sh'Adi developed a major flaw. Their defensive abilities virtually disappeared. They were defenseless. Many Le'Tran used this new weakness to rebel. However, some grew distraught at the thought of their master weakening. Those Le'Tran went to the leader of the Cetra people and begged him for weapons so that they could defend their Sh'Adi. The leader was so moved that he did even better. He changed the spell so that the Le'Tran and the Sh'Adi were bound together. Once bound, the Le'Tran acted like a focus for the Sh'Adi's power. They focused it inside themselves and then used it to defend their masters. Of course, this meant that the Le'Tran became more powerful then the Sh'Adi but that was no problem because of their immense loyalty to the Sh'Adi.

"Krysta didn't used to be like she is now. Back when I first met her she was almost a different person. She was quiet, had no confidence, kept totally to herself, and wasn't even strong enough to swing a stick as a weapon. She found me after I escaped from that place so she cared for me. At that time she was living with the Cetra and told me all about them. I could tell she loved them but I could also tell that they were the ones holding her back. So I begged her to come with me when I started traveling. She said that the only way she could leave was with her Sh'Adi. Still, I wanted her to come so bad I offered to do that. To become her Sh'Adi.

"Obviously, in the end she agreed. Her sister, Aerith, bound us and we left. It was a nightmare at first as she tried to learn to control her new skills and strength. But over time she managed and we joined AVALANCHE. I think it's around then that her personality started changing too. She always told me that as my Le'Tran she needed to be everything _I_ needed her to be. So she changed from quiet to assertive. Zero confidence to zero doubts. Reclusive to outgoing. Weak to insanely strong. In short, she went from being a normal girl to being a perfect warrior. I've never forgiven myself for that."

Silence fell as the two men let the words hang. Though he wanted to say something Reno just didn't have anything he could say right then for his friend. Instead, he stood up and left, leaving the blonde to his thoughts. Once alone, Cloud closed his eyes and let his mind wander again. In seconds he brushed against the black fire of his Le'Tran.

'There you are. Back so soon?'

_Yeah, we finished quickly. Sephiroth must be screaming right about now._

'Oh great. You know he's just going to take it out on me, right?'

…_forgot that part. I'm sorry. How have you been anyway? After all, you've been there a month._

'I'm as fine as possible. Just talked to Reno for a while. Told him about you actually.'

_Cloud…_

'Don't you growl at me. He's my friend and I trust him. Don't you trust Reeve.'

_Yeah, but not about things like who you and I are! And don't forget, my friend is not a Turk._

Silence fell for a moment before he felt her sigh. _So? What did you tell him?_

'I told him that you were my Le'Tran and explained what that meant.'_Are you trying to get us both killed?_

'I know I've said this before but I trust him. He won't betray us.'

_If you say so. Sometimes I regret giving you all the authority of a Sh'Adi._

'Love you too Krysta.'

Cloud felt her smile before drifting back to his own body. He knew that the General would be back the next day and would take out all his anger on Cloud. Best to rest while he still could. So with those unhappy thoughts he drifted off to sleep.

XxXxXxXxX

_Babble time: I suck! I'm gone a week and totally lose track of my story. Argh! My brain isn't even back from the mountains yet and I'm writing? How dumb can a person be? (cough) Oh well. You all don't care about my problems right? Sorry nothing major happened in this chapter but I've had a lot of complaints about Krysta being to perfect. This is just to show that she isn't. She's got flaws and they will be shown in more detail later. I also explained about the whole Le'Tran and Sh'Adi thing. That's one thing to check off the list. In the next chapter a new person decides to use Cloud and Reno's loyalty is put to the test. On to the reviews._

_Anonymouse: (sigh) I was afraid people were going to say that. I get it; I made Krysta to good to be true but give me a break. I just started the story. You all weren't giving me time to get to her flaws. Anyway, Reno will have a major part of the story, even if he doesn't show up much after this. Hope you keep liking it! And I promise to work on Krysta some more._

_CreotiaFlayier: Lol, you certainly have interesting ways of looking at things. The priceless part is when he figures out who Cloud is. That's when everything turns fun. hehe_

_Unlikelyplace02: Oh god…does everyone think Krysta is that bad? I've heard nothing but complaints about her. Yes, Reno is the friend Cloud was talking about before. I'll go into their history later. Sephiroth spills all that stuff to Cloud as a sort of psychological warfare. He tells the prisoners what's going to happen and that makes them despair. Of course, he doesn't know about Krysta or he wouldn't even consider it. Hmm…fluff…well, maybe some. Zack needs something to do._

_Pharitse: Lol, Reno always comes out of no where. That's his trademark._

_Setsuko Teshiba: Sadly that chapter is a long time in coming. But I'm glad you like it!_

_Dawn chase: Okay…totally didn't understand that cause nothing made sense. Nice, I got and thanks. Do fluff, I got and I'm thinking about it. I wonder what type…you lost me. What type of what?_

_Dragi: Of course I won't spoil it. I never do. Seriously though…you say poor Cloud almost every review. Am I that cruel to him?_

_Thanks for reading! TTFN!_


	7. So much worse

Cloud bit back a yelp as he forced himself up off the bed. He didn't even remember what it was like for his lower back not to hurt. If the war didn't end soon he'd really break.

_I told you so._

Even though he knew she wouldn't actually hear him Cloud growled.

'Krysta, the two things I don't need right now are hindsight and 'I told you so's. Now shut up.'

_No can do. I'm stuck in a stupid meeting right now with the guards but you need to know this. SOLDIER is going to use a new attack style. They're calling it albatross. Apparently Hojo has developed a way for 2__nd__ class SOLDIERS and up to grow wings. I'm watching them train and I must say, they're pretty good. We haven't prepared for aerial fighting._

'Curse it! Alright, fill me in and let me see.'

Cloud was so absorbed in what Krysta was telling him he didn't notice the door open. Therefore he jumped when a hand suddenly clamped down on his neck.

_Cloud!_ Krysta called before the blonde yanked his mind away. Instead he looked up into the cold, cruel eyes of…

"Genesis," he breathed a second before a fist connected with his eye. He struck the far wall hard, his head striking even harder. His vision swam as he heard heavy boots stomp over to him. There was barely any time before he was lifted and thrown on the bed. A small part of his mind knew what was coming and he moved to escape but was pinned down.

"I can see why Sephiroth brags about you," the auburn general nearly hummed. "You're so beautiful. He also says you're always virgin tight. Wonder if that's true." Cloud tried to squirm away but the firm hands wouldn't let him. In the end he was forced to still if only to avoid another punch. Still, his resolve was suddenly tested when the man licked his neck. "I must say though, I don't agree with his method. Surely he knows the best way to take someone isn't to just take them repeatedly. The way to break them…" Cloud nearly screamed when the man's other hand suddenly dipped into his pants. "…is to make them enjoy it when they take you."

Before Cloud could even process those words he was flipped over and his pants were gone. He had a saw a flash of hair before the head ducked down. Next thing he knew he was surrounded by warm, wet heat. Naturally he cried out and tried to get away but two strong hands stopped him. Instead he was held captive as the mouth around him began to bob and lick. To his immense horror, Cloud found his body responding. Unconsciously, his hips started bucking up into the heat. His cries were becoming moans even as his mind kept insisting he didn't want this.

The blonde's eyes nearly rolled back in his head when a finger was suddenly pushed into him. It was slick with some sort of liquid and didn't hurt as it was pumped in and out. Besides, the stimulation from the mouth was drowning it out. Though he certainly noticed when a second was added. Almost instantly after that he felt them brush against something that made him arch his back and cry in pure pleasure. He could feel the general smirk as he started stroking that spot. Cloud didn't even notice when his moans turned into a chant of, 'Don't stop.'

A sudden tightening made Cloud scream as he exploded. He felt Genesis drink everything he had and wept. Curse him, he was right! It was so much worse when his body wanted it. When he was arching into the other man's touch, begging for more. The only thing that had kept him sane before was the knowledge that he didn't want this. That it was being taken against his will. What could he do now that that reason was gone?

Finished drinking the boy's seed, Genesis pulled back, licking his lips contentedly. He gazed down at the flushed and panting blonde, considering going further. But when he saw the pain and brokenness in those blue eyes he just smirked and left. He'd done enough damage for the day.

Sobbing, Cloud curled up in a ball. He wasn't in as much physical pain as before but mentally he was near ruin. How could his body react like that? How could he crave that touch? Gaia curse it, why was he so weak?

The blonde wasn't sure how much time had passed when he suddenly felt a gentle tug on his mind. Thinking it was Krysta, he followed it instantly. Therefore he was utterly shocked when instead he found himself in Reno's mind.

Curious, he looked around a bit. He wasn't surprised to find his brother was brown fire but he was slightly shocked out how neat his mind was. The redhead was so messy in everything else. How did he keep such a structured mind? Finally, after a few minutes, the Turk's conversation drew his attention.

"Reno," Tseng said warningly, his blue fire crackling around him. "I'm not going to ask again after this. What are you hiding from me about Sephiroth's new toy?"

Reno really wanted to fidget. He'd been questioned by his boss before but never this severely. Nor about something this important. If he told the truth his little brother would die. If he lied, he would die. Not a good spot to be in.

Unbidden, memories started to rise up. Those experiments they'd gone through together. All the times they'd held the other up to save them. When one or the other would play martyr and take the punishment or experiment to save the other. How could he betray him?

"Nothing sir," he replied, his voice smooth and drawling. He saw Tseng's eyes narrow and knew the lie had been spotted. Still, he waited tensely. There were times he could get away with lies. After all, it was Turk policy. Follow orders and keep your mouth shut. Reno was well trusted among the Turks. If he chose to lie and keep information to himself others didn't usually press. They just assumed it was a personal mission for him. At least this time they'd be right. Just a rather strange personal mission this time.

Finally the Wutai man nodded and walked away. It wasn't until he was sure he wouldn't be heard that Reno sighed in relief. Hoping his shakes weren't noticeable, he continued his walk down the hall and lit one of his cigarettes. Cloud so owed him for this.

Pulling back to his own mind, Cloud shivered. He hadn't meant to put Reno in so much danger. Confused and hurt, he just kept crying. He hardly even noticed when Krysta came in and held him. All he could do was sob for himself, his friend, and all he'd lost.

XxXxXxXxX

_Babble time: Short, I know. Not really into writing for some reason tonight. That said, let's get to the reviews._

_Melody123: I'm glad you liked it. I was thinking about it all week at camp and decided that was a nice twist to the story. I'm glad you picked out the whole Cloud's responsible thing. So many people miss it._

_CreotiaFlayier: O.O Wow. What's your life long dream?_

_xYukiYukiSaiSaix: Hello dear, how was your day? Lol, jk. Glad you're back. And yes, I'm getting complaints about Krysta but it's nothing I can't handle. Don't worry though, I think they'll slack off. Genny is fine. He helped at camp by starting the bon fire. Yuffie's on the loose? AAAAHHHH! Hide me! . TMI, my friend. TMI. Free hugs!_

_UltimateNinjaofDoom: Glad you like it!_

_Unlikelyplace02: Sorry, I didn't do that this time. Seph comes back tomorrow so you can see it then. Argh, everyone wants fluff! I don't do fluff very well! (whimper) But…FINE ALREADY! I'LL DO SOME FLUFF NEXT CHAPTER! Uh…he won't fight Seph until the very end which could be quiet a while. Most of the story Cloud is in prison._

_Dragi: Lol, finally! Jk. But you can say it this time around._

_Thanks for reading! TTFN!_


	8. Chastity? Stupid Zack

Whimpering, Cloud let the water pound against him. He'd been in the shower for hours, trying to get the dirt off him. The dirt that had appeared when he'd enjoyed being sucked off by Genesis. Why wasn't it going away? How long and hard did he have to scrub?

Krysta's mind gently brushed his but he shoved her away. He couldn't let her see him like this. He couldn't let anyone see him like this.

In the back of his mind, Cloud knew it could be like this. He knew there was a chance it would be more psychological then physical. That's why he'd been so relieved when the General hadn't seemed to be into that. With him it had been totally physical. There hadn't been many mental scars. Now though, that had all changed.

The blonde was so distraught he didn't hear the bathroom door open. He did jump though when the shower door slid open. Spinning around he forgot the floor was wet and ended up falling. He yelped when his backside hit the cold, hard tile but otherwise just stared up in fear. Sephiroth seemed to enjoy that as he stepped in, totally naked. Yes, he reveled in the pain and terror in those bright blue eyes.

Firmly, he grabbed the boy by the arm and hauled him up. Testament to the last few months, the blonde obeyed silently. He seemed to relax slightly, like he was relieved. Bad choice. Genesis had already told Sephiroth how the blonde had reacted to the pleasure. He wanted to see it for himself. He wanted to have the blonde writhing and moaning for him. Wanted him to beg for it. And the General always got what he wanted.

Unusually tender, he leaned down and kissed those luscious lips. He felt the boy stiffened but just gripped his jaw and held him close. After a few minutes he pushed his tongue into the younger man's mouth. For just a second he knew the boy was going to bite down. A quiet warning growl was all that was needed for him to reconsider. Instead he stood limply, letting the man do what he wanted. No, that wasn't what he wanted but how to get it.

Slowly, he started stroking the blonde's neck. At first the boy just stiffened but then he gradually relaxed. Once that happened Sephiroth moved his mouth, going to nip and suck his partners jaw. A nearly silent moan came from the blonde's panting mouth, making the General smirk. It was working.

Inwardly, Cloud was screaming at himself. How could he be responding? Gaia curse Genesis for starting this. Gaia curse everyone actually. But all thoughts flew out of his mind when the General's mouth was on his once more. Without thinking he opened his mouth and nearly moaned when the older man's tongue came in. He wasn't sure how long they stood like that when Sephiroth finally pulled back slightly. Cloud was horrified to realize he was reluctant to back away as well.

"Turn around," Sephiroth ordered, his voice rough. Without thinking, Cloud obeyed. Two strong hands grabbed his hips and gently tugged them back. Startled, he wobbled for a moment before finally falling forward and putting his hands against the shower wall. He felt the General's cock hard behind him and instantly stiffened again. Still, when a warm, wet tongue moved across his neck he jumped in surprise.

"Relax," the General whispered, one hand sliding around to grip the boy's cock. "Won't you agree that it's so much better if you relax?" Reluctantly, Cloud knew he was right and slowly obeyed. He had totally forgotten where they were until Sephiroth reached up and got the conditioner. Knowing that it was supposed to be lube, Strife braced himself for the man's cock. He was therefore rather surprised though not negatively so when instead he was speared by a finger. Remembering how it had felt with Genesis, he unconsciously rocked back onto it. A quiet chuckle made him blush.

"Like that?" Sephiroth asked as he pushed the finger in deeper. Gaia, how did the boy manage to stay this tight? It was like he was the perfect gift. Ever so slightly, he eased a second finger in. After a moment of searching the boy gasped and arched into him. That was it.

Moving slowly so he didn't frighten the blonde the General pulled his fingers out and slicked up his cock. A tiny part of his mind noted that he'd never been this considerate to any of his other toys. What was it about this one that made him act differently? Pushing the thought aside, he gently slid into the boy. He was instantly rewarded by a groan. The mere sound made him even harder. Gaia, Genesis was right. It was so much better when the blonde was willing.

Slowly at first, he began to move in and out of the boy. After only a couple moments the blonde responded, moving with him. However, it quickly became to slow for either of them and the General sped up. It wasn't long until he was once again hammering into the boy. But oh what a difference there was. This time the blonde was moving against him, moaning and screaming and pleading like a whore.

"Oh Gaia," Cloud moaned, moving against the General. "Don't stop. Don't stop. Harder. Faster. Please. Please fill me. Oh Gaia, don't ever stop."

"With pleasure," Sephiroth growled, obeying every command. He could feel his orgasm approaching and tried to keep it at bay but it didn't work. Without warning he burst inside the younger, slamming in one last time to make sure that nothing leaked out. The blonde's scream of pleasure was nearly deafening but oh so beautiful. It took a couple minutes for the General to realize that the boy had also come.

Smirking, the older man felt his cock already hardening. That was one of the amazing things about SOLDIERS. Zero recovery time in something as easy as sex. And since it had been so long since he'd been inside his toy he was in no hurry to leave.

Reaching up, he turned the water off. Ignoring the fact that they were both soaked he turned the blonde around and picked him up. Said blonde yelped in surprise, his mind still floating on post-orgasm bliss so instead of fighting he just wrapped his long legs around the General. Sephiroth paused to groan as the action shoved him even deeper into the boy. The feelings were almost too much to bear. But after a while he had recovered and stepped out of the shower and into the bedroom. Without heeding their wetness he laid the younger man down on the bed. Only once the blonde was fully relaxed did he lean down and resume kissing him.

To Cloud it was all building into to much. That perfect orgasm, the tenderness and sweetness of the man, the fact that said man was still inside him and hard. It made it impossible for his mind to fight off the desire. All he could think about was being fucked again and again. And that's exactly what happened. Slowly, Sephiroth started plunging into him again, gradually building up speed until it was as fast and hard as ever. This time he was the one to groan upon his release. A wicked idea entered his mind and he lowered his head to lick the blonde's ear.

"I'm gonna go now," he whispered, smirking at the disappointed whine. "Don't worry. I'll be back tomorrow and I'll have a special treat for you." It wasn't until the blonde nodded that he pulled out and dressed before leaving.

Finally left alone and unstimulated, Cloud felt the self-hatred seep in. How could he be so weak? He'd actually begged the man to fuck him! What was wrong with him?

The door suddenly opened and Krysta slipped in. She lowered her hood quickly but didn't move. As Le'Tran she could sense that it would be best if she left Cloud alone for a moment. After a few moments he nodded and she walked over.

"I want to go home," he whimpered as she held him. "I can't do this anymore."

"Just say the word," she said soothingly, "and I'll get you out of here. But before you make up your mind, remember why we're here at all. The information you've gotten is invaluable. We would have been annihilated months ago if it wasn't for you being here. I know it hurts but do you really want to leave now?"

Reluctantly, Cloud did as she said. Though he hated to admit it, she was right. He was in a position to get so much needed information. He couldn't let his own problems doom all of AVALANCHE.

"I hate it when you're right," he grumbled. Krysta just shrugged.

"I'd think you'd be used to it," she drawled. She then proceeded to gripe about the guard uniform and how it was so bland. While it was true her humor had died long ago she knew that her vanity was often a source of amusement to Cloud. True to form, after a couple of whining complaints Cloud was chuckling at her. His eyes were still rather dark but it looked like he would make it another day. Which was good because it was all she could do. She could take physical pain but was helpless with psychological pain.

Just before she left both rebels heard someone outside the door. Krysta's hood was back up and she was on the other side of the room before the door opened. One of the many prisoner nurses walked in, a vase of flowers in her hands.

"There was a note saying to deliver these to, 'The blonde Chocobo prisoner'." Cloud's eye twitched at the name while Krysta tried not to laugh. "Since this is the only unregistered prisoner I assume it's him. Where do you want them?" Mutely, Cloud pointed to one of the tables. It wasn't until the nurse was gone that he glared at the flowers.

"Zachery?" Krysta asked, something suspiciously like humor in her voice. Cloud just stuck out his tongue at her before resuming his glare of the flowers. Then, suddenly, his lips quirked up in a smile. Surprised, Krysta cocked her head. "What is it?"

"They're Lily of the Valley," Cloud said, laughter in his words. It seemed speaking broke his control because he burst out laughing. Reluctantly, Krysta's mouth also turned up in a smile.

"He sent you a flower that means chastity? Oh Gaia, he is hopeless." Both rebels had a good laugh, or in Krysta's case a good smirk, for a few minutes before she had to go. Still a little depressed, Cloud just curled up on the couch. He hadn't meant to drift off but he did eventually, his gaze never leaving those flowers. Really, Zachery was such an idiot.

But…he was a nice idiot.

XxXxXxXxX

_Babble time: I think I'm getting used to writing sex scenes. At least, I think it's a little better. What do you all think? And there, it wasn't true fluff but it was close. There may be some real fluff in the next chapter. Oh yeah, Zack will continue to do somewhat stupid stuff like the flowers through out the story. On to the reviews!_

_CreotiaFlayier: I'm glad I finally got something right. This whole sex scenes thing is still sort of new so I'm just learning as I go. I hope this one was even better. And you always make me at least smile. I love getting reviews and your's are always rather fresh._

_UltimateNinjaOfDoom: Zack will start showing up again more after this chapter. Not every chapter because it's mostly about Cloud and Seph but every now and then. Haven't decided if I'm going to have him have sex with Cloud yet. Still debating._

_Dragi: And we're back to the poor Cloud. Lol, I guess I was a little mean. Fluff will be more so in the next chapter but I guess there was a little bit here._

_Anonymouse: Oh? I made Krysta better? Yes! Success! Uh…how is Genesis a genius? Yeah, Seph just keeps bragging about Cloud throughout the story. Me thinks he's falling in love and doesn't know it._

_Thanks for reading! TTFN!_


	9. A treat worse then death

Cloud could remember back when he was still a kid. He'd just joined AVALANCHE, Krysta in tow. Elfe had taken a liking to him instantly; something about being a chocobo head. Gaia, is that what everyone thought of when they saw him? Anyway, because of that he often got to be in Elfe's office when she was working. It always drove him crazy when she would start pacing. There wasn't any reason and it didn't accomplish anything. Nevertheless, whenever she was worried or nervous she would pace. Back and forth. Back and forth. It had driven Cloud crazy!

And now he was doing it.

He'd woken later then normal, his internal clock saying that lunch was coming soon. That meant he'd somehow slept through the night. Normally that would make him ecstatic. Full night sleep was becoming a rarity for him. But as soon as the euphoria hit a new thought burst in.

The General had said he'd have a treat for him today.

The naïve, optimistic part of him that hung out with Yuffie to much tried to soothe him. It couldn't be to bad, right? After everything he'd gone through this would be easy. But the majority of his mind wouldn't listen. He'd be willing to bet everything he had, Krysta included, that this 'treat' was not something he was going to enjoy. Oh, he had no doubt Sephiroth would enjoy it. That was almost a given.

Every time he heard someone moving outside he would freeze. It was getting to the point where his nerves couldn't take it anymore. He just wanted the man to come, finish everything and then leave. Preferably never to return.

_Gone mad yet?_

'Not yet but I'm close. Where the hell is he?'

_Last I heard he got hung up in a meeting. Maybe you'll get lucky and he'll be to busy to see you._

'Please, don't offer me false hope right now.'

_Sorry. By the way…I've been thinking._

"Uh-oh.'

_Shut up!_

'Sorry, I had to do that. Now, what have you been thinking?'

_When I found you, you had just escaped from the place. I know you've only told me part of what happened there but…_

'But?'

_Well, is there a chance that you could…that because you're being raped something could happen?_

Freezing, Cloud thought about it, dread forming.

'You mean because of that bastard could I get pregnant? The answer is yes.'

…_Fuck._

'Unfortunately, yes. Fuck.'

_Do you know if you're pregnant yet?_

Cloud thought about it for a moment, letting his mind search his body.

'No, not yet. I think there was a lot of damage done thanks to the roughness at the beginning.'

_Finally, some good news._

'Not quite. I'm already nearly healed and he's been so much gentler. Krysta, what am I going to do?'

Before she could answer the door swung open. Even semi-expecting it, Cloud squeaked as he spun around. As feared, Sephiroth was standing there, a worrying glint in his eyes. He closed the door slowly, never taking his eyes off the blonde.

Said blonde was staring at him too. A strange feeling was coiling in his stomach. Was he looking forward to this? That couldn't be! Frantically, he shielded that part of his mind and reached for Krysta. To his shock, she gently pushed him away. What in Shiva's name was she doing?

All thoughts vanished when Cloud was suddenly pulled in for a kiss. The only thing he could focus on was how his lips molded with the General's and how sweet the man tasted. Sweet. The man tasted sweet. Now there was a surprise.

"Did you miss me?" Sephiroth murmured, moving to nibble the boy's jaw. The only response he got was a lustful moan of his name. It was answer enough though so he continued. Didn't take long to get both of their naked forms on the bed. The blonde was near pleading for him already, his hands roaming everywhere. Normally Sephiroth would have never accepted such behavior from a toy. They were simply supposed to sate him. Not enjoy it in return. But yet again the blonde was different. His touches were arousing the General far more then the mere sight of him.

"Do you want to know what your treat is?" he asked with a purr. To his surprise the boy shook his head.

"Don't…care…" he said between gasps, arching into the man's touch. "Just…want you."

A sudden surge of possessiveness flooded Sephiroth. This was his blonde; his toy. No one else was ever going to hear words like that. Of that he would make certain.

"As you wish," he grunted before flipping the boy over. The lube was well within reach so his fingers were slick and in that tight heat before the blonde could recover. A loud moan was issued before the younger man thrust his hips back, trying to get the fingers deeper. Now that he knew how much pleasure he could have he wanted it so bad.

"Eager, are we?" the General asked with a tight smile, thrusting his fingers deeper. Almost instantly he found the boy's prostate and started stoking it firmly. The blonde was nearly thrashing on the bed by then, lost in pleasure. The sight was so arousing Sephiroth couldn't take it anymore. He ripped his fingers out and thrust his already lubed cock in.

Cloud's eyes flew open, his mouth open in a silent scream. Gaia, how could it feel better then last time? It was the same cock! It shouldn't feel better.

All thoughts were shattered as the General began moving, deep and hard. He knew he was beating into the blonde's prostate but apparently the boy loved it. After all, he was moving against him rather enthusiastically.

The two became lost in the feelings and the sounds. Never before had Cloud thought he'd actually like the sound of skin slapping skin. Of course, never before had he thought he'd be having sex with the General. He hardly even noticed when his climax hit and he arched his back, screaming his release. But the General noticed and he smirked. Teasingly, he licked the boy's neck, making him shudder from the oversensitivity.

"I hope you liked that," the General purred, still thrusting deeply. "Because your treat is that we're going to keep at this until you release five times in a row." Cloud's eyes flew open, staring into the green ones. Five times in a row? That was going to take forever! He wasn't a SOLDIER; it took time for him to recover enough to release again. Not to mention he'd never released more then twice at any given time. The mere thought of five times was daunting, terrifying and…

…exciting.

Just then the General grunted as he climaxed inside the boy. Cloud nearly whimpered in joy as he felt his ass being filled. Gaia, how could he find pleasure in this? It went against everything he stood for and yet he was craving more. Vaguely he noticed that the older man never went soft inside him. He just kept thrusting till the flow stopped and then went deeper still. At this rate it wouldn't take long for him to reach his climax again.

As he moved against the General, clutching the man close, a part of his mind watched in disgust. He was Cloud Strife. Leader of AVALANCHE. Bane of every SOLDIER in existence. Yet here he was, acting like a whore for the SOLDIER General. What had happened to him? How had he fallen so far? If Elfe could see him now she'd murder him on the spot. Not that he could blame her.

The hours went by with both men joined and sweaty. Whenever they got tired of one position Sephiroth would shift Cloud, never once pulling out. There wasn't a position left that they hadn't tried. Though he was loathing admitting it, Cloud was partial to the doggy style. Yes, it was demeaning but there was just a thrill in knowing someone was dominating you. Was that his problem? After being in control for so long was he just looking for someone to control him?

With a scream Cloud finally released for the fifth time. At that exact moment Sephiroth also climaxed, him for the thirteenth time. Seemed the zero recovery time rumors were true. Still, both men collapsed onto the bed, breathing hard and twitching in post-orgasmic bliss. It wasn't until there was a loud knock on the door that Sephiroth stirred.

"General, Professor Hojo is asking for you," a voice said through the door, making the man growl. For the first time he failed to notice Cloud stiffen. Instead he just licked the boy's neck before pulling out of the now thoroughly stretched hole and getting up. In moments he was dressed and looked immaculate once more. Just as he was about to leave he glanced back to see that the blonde hadn't moved. A tiny frown flashed across his face as worry appeared. Had he gone too far with the boy? But the thought was instantly brushed aside and he left.

Cloud was left alone, nearly lifeless. Not only did he feel so drained but he also couldn't move from his tremors. That man. Why did they have to mention that man? Of all the people in this Gaia forsaken tower, why did they mention him?

_Cloud,_ Krysta called but he shoved her away. He didn't want any comforting words just then. All he wanted to do was wallow in his misery. After all, he wasn't good for anything else anymore. How could he be after wanting the General so badly? That was it. Everything was over. He couldn't keep going like this. There was no way he could go back to AVALANCHE after all this and without AVALANCHE he had nothing. Without AVALANCHE there was no reason to fight with this daily pain.

The door opened but Cloud didn't move. When there were no words he knew it wasn't Krysta. The scent indicated yet another nurse. Had the General told them to check in on him? Apparently not as they just set something down and left once more. Tiredly, the blonde cracked an eye open and saw the vase beside his bed. Daisies. Innocence.

"Another miss Zack," he rasped, a smile hidden in his words. Honestly, the raven was such an idiot. But then his eyes clouded over once more. Why did the guy even bother sending flowers to someone like him?

Moving to stand, Cloud was suddenly brought up short. Looking down he saw that his abdomen was swollen from all the sperm. Actually, it sort of made him look a couple months pregnant.

Pregnant!

Frantically, Cloud reached out with his mind. He knew that the whole reproduction thing in him was different from a female's. They wouldn't know about the baby until either they missed a period or about six weeks in. He could sense his upon conception. After all, that freak had wanted him to conceive and they'd have to know as soon as possible. If Cloud remembered correctly there was also some sort of magical protection so that he'd never have a miscarriage. Once the baby was conceived that was it. He was pregnant.

He was pregnant.

There, amongst all the matter of himself and the General was a spark of life. Actually, it hardly qualified as a spark but it was there. Life inside of him. A baby. His baby.

His and the General's baby.

It was all too much. Cloud broke, sobbing as he collapsed to the ground. He was pregnant! He, Cloud Strife, leader of AVALANCHE, bane of all SOLDIERS was pregnant! Forget everything he was supposed to do now. Forget all his responsibilities. There was no way he could live, pregnant with Sephiroth's child.

Everything condensed in an instant within his mind. His mind was numb as he reached up and shattered the vase. Without thinking he grabbed one of the shards and yanked it across his wrist. Blood instantly gushed out but he could already feel himself healing. Curse that man for eternity!

Desperate, Cloud was about to try again when he felt Krysta running towards him. She was still down the hall so he had a few more seconds. With that thought, he jabbed the shard right into his neck. He felt it sever two major arteries and smiled. There was no way he'd survive that.

Vaguely he heard the door crash open and Krysta calling for the nurses. He barely felt her grab him and try to turn him over so that they could get to his neck. Everything was fading so fast he was nearly gone. Just before he faded away for good he had a sudden thought.

By killing himself he was killing his child.

Crap. Hadn't thought of that.

XxXxXxXxX

_Babble time: Dun-Dun-DUN! (cackles) I'm so evil! Sorry I didn't get this chapter done last night. I got a bunch of new games and lost track of time so I totally spaced this. Again, sorry! Although I'm not sorry for this cliffy. On to the reviews!_

_CreotiaFlayier: Lol, I'm glad you like it so much. Umm…is it a good thing your cat is smiling at me? Because when my cat smiles at me I end up getting hurt by her. Anyway, sorry, no threesome. Ever. I'm only now getting used to writing sex. Maybe next story. Uh…I may go back to the bondage and rape next chapter. If there is a next chapter. Mwahahaha!_

_UltimateNinjaOfDoom: I'm glad it's getting better. Much more desirable then starting good and getting worst._

_Dragi: Zack will always be Zack. He can't be anything else. Yes, Cloud will admit that he likes Sephiroth later. If there is a later. Not sure, I could conceivably end it here. What do you think?_

_Unlikelyplace02: Good point. Tseng wouldn't just leave it like that. Umm…that sentence…basically the way to break a person mentally is to make them enjoy it when they are being raped. Their mind knows they don't want it but their body does. And relax, the idea of Zack and Cloud having sex wasn't a very serious thought anyway. They probably won't. I agree. If Cloud didn't beat himself of for stuff beyond his control he wouldn't be the chocobo head we all love._

_Thanks for reading! TTFN!_


	10. Remembered past

**He could still remember that day. The day those men in white suits came. He was three and outside, playing in the mud because his mother was cleaning the house. Why she was cleaning he didn't know. She was always cleaning something. The kitchen, the living room, the bathroom, his room. This time it was the whole place. So his little toddler mind insisted that he get outside fast before she decided to clean him.**

**It was just nearing lunch time when they came. Six men, all dressed in funny white coats. They just walked into the village and started looking around, making notes. One of them noticed him and started asking questions. Of course, he couldn't answer much because he was simply too young. Apparently his answers were good enough though because the man told him to follow them so he did. Maybe they'd give him a treat. It was with this thought that he climbed into the truck with the funny man.**

**He never saw his mother again.**

**Months later Cloud nearly died. The experiment Hojo had tried had just been too much for his three now four year old bodies. When the medics declared him near death he was just tossed into the back of the cell and left to die. None of the other children dared to help him for fear of the scientist's wrath. None save one. A slightly older boy who had been there a lot longer then Cloud had. Rumor among the kids was that his mother had sold him to Hojo. He certainly kept to himself and seemed more resigned to everything then the others. Nevertheless, it was that boy who slowly nursed Cloud back to health. After a few months it became obvious that the blonde was nearly fully recovered. However, what he found odd was that in the four months they'd spent together he'd never talked to the other boy. So he decided to change that.**

"**I'm Cloud," he said suddenly one day. The other boy jumped a little before staring at him.**

"**That's nice," was all he said before going back to eating.**

"**What's your name?" the blonde wanted to know.**

"**Don't have one," was the clipped reply. The older boy seemed to be getting frustrated.**

"**Then I'll give you one," Cloud said firmly. The boy stared in shock as he tried to think of one. Finally he came up with one and smiled. "Your name will be Reno!"**

"**Reno," the boy repeated, an incredulous look on his face. Cloud apparently didn't notice because he just nodded enthusiastically.**

"**Yep! That's my imaginary friend's name so I'll give it to you, my real friend."**

**The two boys stared at each other for a moment before the older chuckled and shook his head. "You're really something," he said. "Alright then. My name is Reno. Nice to meet you Cloud."**

**The years rolled on and it got to the point where the two boys were used to seeing the other children suddenly die. Truth be told they were becoming used to death period. Every morning they'd be drenched in mako and then experimented on. Whenever Hojo was feeling particularly mad or happy he'd throw them into a fight against a monster. It wasn't until evening that they'd be thrown back into their cell and could be together. If it hadn't been for their friendship they would have both gone mad like all the other kids. Even then it was a close thing.**

**Then one day, Cloud eighth birthday, Hojo came up with a new experiment. He managed to create a false womb and placed it inside the boy. It was his hope that the organ would take and he could get someone to get the boy pregnant. If so his employer would be so happy he'd give him all the funding the scientist could ever need.**

**The problem was that Cloud's body was adamant about rejecting the womb. He got deathly ill and it was up to Reno once again to nurse him through. It didn't take quite as long as the last time Cloud had been near death but the pain just wouldn't cease. Because of that Reno started taking on a lot of the tests and experiments that Cloud was supposed to have. Whenever the blonde would complain he would just laugh and brush it off. It was also around that time that he started calling Cloud his little brother.**

**One day Cloud saw a person stumble into their cell and blinked in surprise. The person looked a bit like Reno but he had a shock of bright red hair where Reno had deep black hair. Not to mention their glowing eyes were sea green instead of hazel. But then he saw the painful smirk and knew it was his friend. He jumped to his feet and helped the other boy lay down before curling up beside him. Neither one commented on the change but it hung like a deadly trap between them for Cloud knew the change had been meant for him.**

**Six months after the womb was placed within him Cloud was thrown into a random room where he was raped. He never saw who raped him but vividly remembered the pain. Afterwards he was a shell of his former self. Reno literally had to force the boy to live. It only grew worse when they both realized he was pregnant. Eight years old, male, and pregnant. There was nothing neither crueler nor messed up in the world.**

**Nine months later Cloud gave birth to a boy and the baby was taken before he could see them. Still, he often talked to Reno about his child. He prayed the kid wasn't going to be an experiment but didn't know what had happened.**

"**I even had a name for him," he said sadly as Reno held him. "I was going to name him Ian after my best friend."**

"**I thought your best friend's name was Reno," the redhead joked, making Cloud laughed.**

"**My old best friend then," he amended before falling silent again. His child was never mentioned again.**

**Then, on his tenth birthday Cloud decided that enough was enough.**

**Hojo had just finished throwing Cloud and Reno into a pit against a full grown dragon, trying to see if his speed enhancement experiment worked. When they managed to survive for a whole three hours he judged it a success and left. The only people left were the lesser scientist's and assistants. Both boys were panting and near collapse but Cloud's mind was working frantically. They were both so wiped out that no one was paying them any mind. Carefully he nudged his friend and jerked his head towards the vents. Understanding shone in Reno's eyes as he nodded.**

**Suddenly both boys dashed for the vent. They were in and gone before most of the people had even noticed they'd moved. Of course the alarms went off instantly but both children found that navigating the vents was easy. It didn't take them long to work their way to a shaft that led up to the outside world. As soon as they saw the exit Cloud recognized the leaves covering it. It was from a special bush that only grew in his home town.**

**They were right near Nibelheim.**

**Carefully, the boys crawled out and made their way down the mountain. After all those experiments and training it was a breeze to avoid the searchers. Eventually they made their way to Cloud's old home.**

**But the home was falling apart.**

**Frantic, Cloud was about to dash in when Reno heard something. He managed to grab the blonde and yank them both under cover before the mayor appeared, talking with another man.**

"**And this is where those weird Strife's used to live," the mayor said.**

"**What ever happened to them?" the man asked, eyeing the house and land.**

"**The boy was kidnapped seven years ago," the mayor said flippantly. "His mother was so depressed but tried to stay alive in case he came back. She gave up two years ago and no one has been out here since. Really, I'm glad to be rid of them."**

**Both men walked off, not noticing the two boys in the shadows near them, one sobbing and the other trying to be a source of comfort. They didn't stay in the area very long, instead moving around the mountain side. When they finally reached the base they decided to split up. Reno would go straight south and Cloud would go east and then south. They agreed to someday meet up in Midgar and take their revenge on Hojo. So, with final goodbyes and many tears, they parted.**

**It would be six years before they would see each other again.**

**Those six years were a mixture of good and bad for Cloud. Almost instantly he found Krysta and they joined AVALANCHE. There all his training and enhancements were put to good use and he felt happy. Of course, he got a little upset when he was promoted to leader of the army after a little more then a year. Still, he knew he could do it so he took the job. Sure, he still had problems. He got sick very easily and was often in so much pain he could hardly move. In the beginning he loathed any humor and was nearly a slave driver of his men. True, he had mellowed out but there were still times when he'd snap and his men would run for cover. The worst times were when his Wutai master tried to teach him something. But the majority of the time he was healing.**

**The only thing that never healed was his feelings for children. Often he would find himself staring at the AVALANCHE children and wonder what he happened to his son. Krysta had offered multiple times to try and find him but Cloud had always refused. Maybe after the war he would search for him but not before.**

**That's what drove Cloud over the edge this time. He was pregnant again and it was from a rape again. Would they take the baby away again? No. He wouldn't let them. It was different this time. It had to be different this time.**

**With that thought Cloud forced his eyes open. Instantly he was met with those concerned, glowing eyes just as he had so many times as a kid. Faintly, he smiled. "Just like old times, eh Reno?" he rasped. The Turk just smiled and nodded.**

"**Welcome back little brother."**

**XxXxXxXxX**

_**Babble time: Okay then. This time I decided to explain a little more about Cloud's past. I know, the ending is confusing. Relax, I swear the next chapter will be up tomorrow and will make this slightly less confusing. Also, I don't want anyone complaining about Cloud getting pregnant at eight. I know it's impossible and I know it's sick and cruel. THERE IS A REASON I DID THAT! So if you want to growl and cuss me out go ahead just don't tell me about it. Alright then, on to the reviews!**_

_**CreotiaFlayier: Uh…well, it will work out like you hope and yet it won't. You'll just have to wait and see. Oh alright, there will be one more bondage. Promise. After all, Sephiroth cannot be happy that his toy just tried to kill himself. Oh, so that's who BOB is. Well, tell him that when my cat dies she's to be sent to dog heaven for all the times she drew my blood.**_

_**Dawn Chase: o.O Okay then. Glad you like it.**_

_**UltimateNinjaOfDoom: Yeah, I like throwing stuff like that in randomly.**_

_**Anonymouse: DO NOT DIE! I REPEAT! DO NOT DIE! DIEING IS BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH! Lol, anyway, I just love making Cloud pregnant. I'm glad you think I handled it well. Sometimes it seems sort of awkward (well, more so then a guy getting pregnant is naturally) so I'm really glad this one worked out. And yes, Hojo is more then enough to explain everything weird and disturbing in FFVII.**_

_**Unlikelyplace02: Well, Cloud is staying in prison for a while yet but he will get out after a while. And yes, there will be more SephCloud after this. No, the suicidal thing was a one time event. He's not crazy enough to kill his child along with himself. (chuckles darkly) Hojo will die, do not worry about that. It may take some time but he will die. This I swear. As for the last part of your review, not quite. Cloud is not crazy enough to fight while pregnant. True, he can't have a miscarriage but it will affect his fighting. But never fear! Seph will face Cloud on the battlefield, be beat, know its Cloud, and learn about his child.**_

_**Dragi: Oh alright, I won't end it yet. Lol, after all, I'm pretty much writing this story for you. Eh, I don't know what Professor Creepy wanted with Seph. But yeah, Seph is slowly learning to feel for others. And yes…Zack will always be Zack.**_

_**Sephirothpaine squallpaine: I'm glad you like it! Its okay, Cloud and the baby live.**_

_**Yukari Saiga: Yea! Another person likes it!**_

_**Sunset in Love: Yep, Cloud was experimented on by Hojo. Oh…never thought of that. Crap, you're right! Hojo, that bastard, would know its Cloud. Ah! How am I going to handle this? (wanders off muttering)**_

_**Thanks for reading! TTFN!**_


	11. Clearer feelings

Gingerly, Cloud got up and moved around a little. His legs were still rather stiff but at least he could move around again without aid. Of course he knew that Krysta was monitoring him. She hadn't fully pulled out of his mind since that stupid suicide attempt two weeks back. Reno wasn't much better. Somehow, Gaia knows how, he'd managed to convince the Turk commander to assign him to the dungeon so that he could watch the 'blonde chocobo toy'. Oh the redhead was lucky Cloud wasn't there when he'd said that. Anyway, point was he was now down there as well, always checking in on him.

Strangely enough Sephiroth was the one who hadn't come back. Cloud hadn't seen or heard anything from the General since that day. He'd wondered briefly if the man had given up on him then shook his head. Like that was going to happen. More then likely he was just too pissed at the blonde to show up.

_Can you blame him?_

'Krysta, if all you're going to do is berate me, shut up.'

It had been like that all week. She'd make some sharp comment, he'd snap back, and then silence would fall. It wasn't like they wanted it that way. Their bond was wreaking havoc on them for the grudge but neither would back down. They just had to much bloody pride and didn't know how to apologize. Well, that and she was just naturally hardheaded.

_I heard that._

Before Cloud could respond his door slammed open. Strong arms had grabbed him and threw him before he could even flinch. His back hit the bed, hard, making him wince in pain. Instantly his mind flew to his baby, knowing they would be unharmed but checking anyway. Damn, men were not supposed to have maternal instincts.

Reassured that the baby was fine Cloud refocused on his attacker. Sephiroth. Of course.

"And just what did you think you were doing?" the man growled, rage pouring off him. Every instinct Cloud had demanded that he whimper and crawl away but he held still. He had this horrible feeling that if he moved he would be struck again. Just then he realized how kind and caring the General had been before. All that was gone now and Cloud was left facing just the SOLDIER.

Gaia, he'd really screwed up this time.

Cloud's fight or flight instinct was waging war within him. He knew he should be trying to escape but that defeated the whole purpose of being there. Besides, even if he couldn't miscarry trying to escape the General could still cause the baby harm. However, if he didn't run then he knew the man was going to cause him intense pain. This could also harm the baby. Which was the lesser of the two evils?

Reluctantly, Cloud forced himself to stay still as the General attacked his mouth. Yes, he kissed back but tried to remain submissive. Maybe, just maybe, the man would notice and back off a bit.

Sephiroth did seem to notice as his mouth started relenting just a bit. He actually pulled back enough to let Cloud breath for a moment. True, his eyes were still burning with anger but at least he was trying. Gradually his kisses returned to the soft, questing ones they had been before. He even reached up and gently brushed Cloud's face with his hand.

Then, without warning, Cloud was blindfolded. For a fraction of a second he nearly threw the man. If one led an army they learned quickly that sight was a vital sense and react violently when robbed of it. Somehow though he managed to hold himself back.

"That was very stupid," Sephiroth growled, flipping the blonde. In a flash he had the younger man handcuffed to the bed. He heard the surprised yelp and used that moment to gag the boy. Only once that was all done did he spread his partner's legs and thrust in. Even with the gag he could hear the scream of pain and was surprised to find he had stilled. What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he just plunge away, reveling in the boy's pain? Gaia curse it, why did he care about this boy?

Cloud meanwhile was near tears. It wasn't the pain. No, pain was an old friend. He was used to the pain now. It no longer bothered him. The thing that made him cry was that he realized he was sorry. For some reason he was truly sorry that he had made Sephiroth worry. Could he, Gaia forbid, be falling in love?

Once he felt that the blonde was adjusted Sephiroth started ramming into him. His thrusts were hard and deep, causing pain but not damage. It didn't surprise him that the boy kept trying to get away but he held him close. As he kept plunging in a small part of his mind that he mostly kept locked up started asking him what he was doing. Why was he reacting so violently? He'd had other toys commit suicide before and never cared. Yet as soon as he had heard this boy had tried he'd panicked. Actually refused a mission so that he could go to the hospital and keep watch over the boy while he was unconscious. He'd never done something like that before. Not even for his friends.

Without warning both men reached their climaxes and arched against each other, groaning. Sated, the General nearly collapsed on the boy before turning at the last moment to land beside him instead. Slowly, he reached up and pulled the blindfold off before untying the gag. He didn't even notice that his hands were shaking though Cloud did.

Then, very slowly and carefully, Sephiroth pulled the boy in for a gentle kiss. Content, they both closed their eyes and let their mouths move freely. Neither one could tell how long they kissed. Time lost all meaning. No, time no longer existed. It was just them and that's all there would ever be.

Reluctantly, Sephiroth pulled away, opening his eyes to stare into deep blue ones. "Do not ever do that again," he growled. His arms tightened as he glared at the younger man. "You're mine now, understand? So you will never do that again." The blonde just nodded meekly. Satisfied, Sephiroth unbound the boy before getting up and leaving.

As soon as he was gone Cloud threw a chair at the door. "I'm not yours!" he screamed at the empty room before falling back onto the bed. He instantly winced when his backside touched the sheets. Gaia, he hurt.

"Knock, knock," a disgustedly cheerful voice said from the doorway. Cloud simply raised his hand and gave Reno the finger. "Aw shucks Spiky! I didn't know you liked me that way."

"Go jump in a mako stream," the blonde grumbled, trying to turn over. He was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. Surprised, he looked up to see Reno glaring at him. That…was…not…good.

"What happened?" was all the redhead said. Nevertheless, Cloud looked away. He couldn't answer that. However a strong hand grabbed his chin and yanked him back around. "Don't give me that avoidance crap Cloud! Frankly, after nearly six years here as a Turk I'm used to it. Hell, I do it myself with my boss all the time. Now answer the question. What the hell happened?" Still Cloud was silent, making Reno sigh. "Come on man. I know you're stronger then this. You cannot tell me that this is worse then what we went through."

"True," Cloud finally whispered, his eyes softening. So often he forgot that he hadn't gone through it all alone. "Alright then. I broke because I'm pregnant." That got Reno's attention. The redhead collapsed onto the couch, his eyes wide.

"Again?" he squeaked, making Cloud laugh and nod. "Gaia Cloud. No wonder you snapped."

"Yeah," was all Cloud said. His gaze unfocused as he thought back to his son. "He'd be eight about now. No, scratch that. He'll be eight in exactly three hours and seventeen minutes."

"That exact," Reno mused. He knew it was hard for his friend to think about the kid. Hey, it's near impossible to carry someone inside you for nine months and not get attached. The problem was… "I know where he is," the Turk said quietly. Cloud's eyes instantly snapped to his, his mouth open to ask where but then he stopped. Slowly his mouth shut as he thought things through before sighing.

"Don't tell me," he rasped, hating himself for every word. "There's nothing I can do now. Not with this war and me here. Just…tell me…is he alright?"

"As well as can be," Reno said simply. "He obviously doesn't know about you and I can't say I like him very much because of how he was raised but…he's okay Cloud. He's not mistreated at all. Don't worry."

Noise outside made both men glance at the door before Reno hastily left. Once alone Cloud leaned back once more on the bed.

_You never told me that._

'Never told you what?'

_That you'd already had a child. If I'd known that I wouldn't have been so angry at you this time._

'Yeah, well, I don't really like talking about it.'

_Sorry. Goodnight Cloud._

'Goodnight Krysta.'

"Goodnight Ian," the blonde whispered before finally rolling over to fall asleep. Unconsciously, his hand went down to rest on his stomach. This time would be different. He'd make sure of that.

XxXxXxXxX

_Babble time: Omg, this chapter did not like me. I've literally spent hours on this and this is all I got. Must be revenge for having Cloud try to commit suicide. Oh yeah! Would all of you readers kindly take just a few moments to go to my profile and vote on my poll? The results will determine how much longer this story will go on. I've learned it isn't really easy to write a story where you only have a couple characters and one is constantly stuck in one place. Anyway, on to the reviews!_

_Sephirothpaine squallpaine: Yes, I will tell you all who raped Cloud the first time later. Sorry, this one is even shorter. I'll try not to make this the norm._

_UltimateNinjaOfDoom: I'm glad you liked it! Yeah, I thought that Cloud naming Reno would be rather cute._

_CC: O.O Wow. You really thought this all out. Uh…sorry but I can't see a lot of that happening. Some parts yeah. Others…not so much._

_Unlikelyplace02: I'm glad you approved! I was really, really nervous about the last chapter. I figured if anything was going to get me killed it was that one. Zack will help out a lot in the future, promise. Krysta had a reason for pushing his mind away before and she'll explain it soon. But no (mock glare) she's not a fangirl._

_Dawn chase: (cheers) There is no greater compliment then to have someone who doesn't like mpreg liking my stories. Makes me feel all good and special._

_Fightkit: Ah! (bows head) I'm so sorry! I have no idea why that happens but sometimes it does when I upload certain chapters. No clue as to what makes it. I'll try and fix that._

_Gentian Floret: (cricket chirps) Okay then. That's…good…right?_

_Dragi: Don't worry. I promise, the ending will be much more satisfying then the last chapter._

_Lady-yuna7: Glad you like it!_

_CreotiaFlayier: It's okay, this baby Cloud will keep. I'm not cruel enough to take away two. Uh…I know this bondage scene sucked so I can do another different one if you want. Seph won't know about the baby till after their born. Yeah! Thank BOB for me._

_Thanks for reading! TTFN! And please vote!_


	12. A taste of freedom

Bored, Cloud threw his ball at the wall again. The General had been gone for three days and the blonde was losing his mind. There was nothing for him to do! True, he didn't like being Sephiroth's sex toy but at least it was something! This sitting around all day doing nothing was driving him insane. Was this how Reno had cracked? Sitting at a Turk desk day in and day out? At least there the scenery changed everyday, even if not very much.

Just about to scream from boredom, Cloud heard the door open. Surprised, he turned around to see Krysta enter, a bundle of clothes in her arms.

"Put these on," she ordered, dropping them at his feet. "Sephiroth and Reno are gone so I'm doing something before your boredom makes _me_ lose my mind." Trying to appear affronted but not managing, Cloud obeyed. He was surprised to find that she had given him SOLDIER cadet clothes but knew better then to ask. Instead he just focused on getting everything where it belonged before spinning around, letting her see him form all angles.

"A little loose," she mused. "You lost more weight then I thought. Oh well, come on." And with that she drug him out of the cell. There was no one around as she brought him through the halls before they both stepped out of the doors.

Cloud nearly shouted for joy at the sight of the sun. Everything was so bright and colorful; he knew he as grinning like an idiot but could bring himself to care. He was outside and free even if for only a couple hours. Walking slightly ahead of Krysta he was about to run and jump when he suddenly felt a surge of yellow charge him. He had just enough time to yelp before he was tackled to the ground, a happy voice yelling, "Cirrus!" Groaning, he looked up into the chocolate brown eyes and smiled.

"Hello Yuffie."

Suddenly he was surrounded by his inner circle, every one of them smiling at him. He glanced at Krysta who was hanging back, noticing her smile.

_We set it up for you. Enjoy them while you can Cloud. Oh, and they decided that Cirrus is your new code name. Respond to it._

'Krysta…'

_Yes Cloud?_

'Thank you.'

She didn't reply to this but the glow in her eyes said it all. Instead she just nodded before wandering off, making sure they remained relatively alone. Once she was gone Cloud managed to get Yuffie off him and they all sat in a circle. One by one they caught Cloud up on everything he had missed. He actually didn't listen to most of it. Instead he just soaked up the sounds, sights, and smells of them. It had been so long since he'd seen them, he'd forgotten so much. Had Yuffie always been so short? Had Tifa's hair always been so long? Had Vincent always been so quiet?

Actually, scratch that last one. Yes, he'd always been that quiet.

Focusing on Vincent, Cloud realized the undead man was staring at him. Or rather, his stomach. The blonde tensed instantly. Could he know? Vincent had gone through more at the hands of Hojo then he had so maybe he did. The only one to go through more then the both of them was Nanaki. The fire lion was absent but that didn't surprise Cloud much. It was harder to disguise him then his human friends.

Finally Tifa pulled out a picnic basket and they all spread the food around. It was about then that Vincent stood up and motioned for Cloud to follow him. Reluctantly, the blonde obeyed. He hated getting lectured by the ex-Turk.

"What happened?" the older man said as soon as they were out of hearing range. Cloud shuffled for a moment before sighing.

"It was a risk from the beginning," was all he said before yelping as the raven grabbed his shirt. Shocked, he looked up into the angry eyes of his friend. Oh shit.

"Getting pregnant was a risk for you Cloud? Strange, I always thought you were a guy like Barret or Cid," he growled.

"First off, I think I should be insulted by the comparison," Cloud griped, noticing the slight twitch of Vincent's lips. "Secondly, I am a guy. It was Hojo that did this." Slowly, the other man calmed down and let the blonde go.

"Hojo is the father?" he asked before seeing Cloud gag.

"Don't even kid about that," the teen begged. "I would kill that bastard before I let him near me again, you know that. I don't care if it blows my cover. No, the father is General Sephiroth. Hojo's just the creep that put the womb inside me."

Tensely, Vincent nodded. He had known Sephiroth back when the man was younger. Even back then he'd been a near perfect SOLDIER but he had other sides. He probably wouldn't kill the blonde for getting pregnant with his child. Besides, if the new scar on his neck was any indication, Cloud had already tried that.

"Do not tell him," the ex-Turk said suddenly. "Sephiroth is to unpredictable. We won't be able to guess how he'll respond."

"Trust me," Cloud said with feeling, "I had no intention of telling him. Don't worry Vincent. It's not like it's my first pregnancy." Instantly he bit his tongue. Why did he say that? Of course the other man picked up on it and frowned. About to demand an explanation they were both interrupted by Barret yelling, "Spiky! Get over here so that you can settle that argument between Yuffie and Cid!" Wincing, Cloud raced right over. Whenever Yuffie and Cid started fighting there was always a risk of another war starting. Vincent simply watched the blonde run off. He knew Krysta would tell him if he asked what the blonde had meant.

XxXxXxXxX

Seeing the sun about to set Cloud felt like crying. It was time for his friends to go and he'd be returning to his cell. After all this time in the sun and air he was loathe to leave it behind. In fact, he was just seconds away from telling Krysta they were leaving when he caught sight of a Turk. They were hurrying to the Turk headquarters. Seconds later more Turks followed. Over the course of three minutes he saw over twenty-nine Turks rush for their building. Something big had to be about to happen. Now they just needed to figure out what. And guess who was in the position to learn. Yep, Cloud.

Gaia, he hated his life.

Bidding goodbye to his friends, Cloud let Krysta guide him back to his cell. The only part he was happy about was shedding the uniform. He never wanted to be in that thing again.

"I'm sorry," Krysta suddenly said. "I wanted to relieve some of the pressure from your confinement and I have only made it worse."

"Not at all," Cloud said instantly, flopping on the bed. "Yeah, it was hard coming back, but easier in a way too. At least this time I have fresh memories to look back on. The first time I hadn't realized how much I would miss so I didn't bother trying to memorize anything. I knew better this time so I'll be better off now. So take back your apology." Smiling, Krysta nodded before leaving.

Cloud was left alone for a while before a nurse came in suddenly. She had a vase of flowers again though the vase this time was a rubber kiddy one. Seemed Zack had learned his lesson and it had to be Zack. After all, they were buttercups. Only Zack would send someone a flower that meant Immaturity.

Once the nurse was gone Cloud reached out and pulled out one of the flowers. Slowly, he rolled it between his fingers, memorizing it. For the first time he realized that the scent that had been in the air all day had been the scent of buttercups. They must have been growing nearby. Buttercups were officially his new favorite flower.

"What do you think?" he asked his stomach. He knew that baby was to small to hear or respond but he felt better talking to it. After all, you couldn't build a relationship on silence. A quiet knock had him turning to the door in surprise. "Come in," he called, knowing it wasn't Krysta, Reno, or Sephiroth. They never knocked. But if not them, then who?

Zack, apparently.

"Hey Spiky!" the raven said, nearly bouncing into the room. Inwardly, Cloud groaned. He didn't need this. After all, he could only deal with one yellow person a day and he'd already dealt with Yuffie.

"Why are you here?" he asked, making his pitch slightly different. No sense letting this idiot know he wasn't broken but he also didn't want to over sell it.

"Just checking in on you like I promised Seph I would," the SOLDIER chirped, looking the blonde over. "I don't see or smell any knew injuries so I guess you're alright. Although I do smell an overpowering scent of buttercups." Cloud tensed. "Must have got the flowers I sent you." He relaxed again, smiling.

"Yes I did, and thank you," he said, surprised by the honesty in his thanks. Huh, learn new things every day apparently. "Although I must admit, your choice of flowers is rather interesting."

"How so?" Zack asked, curious. He just bought whatever looked and smelled nice; knowing anyone trapped in a cell 24/7 would appreciate something to remind them of the outdoors. After all, he'd been through that.

"Well, first off, Lily's of the Valley mean chastity," Cloud said. Instantly Zack blushed, making the blonde chuckle inwardly. "Daisy's mean innocence, which I don't really have anymore." The blush got darker. "And now buttercups which mean immaturity." Zack's face could have paced for a brick, it was so red. "Other then that they were all great. Thank you."

"Where did you learn all that?" the flustered SOLDIER asked. He'd have to be way more careful in the future.

"An ancient Wutain man that lived in my village," Cloud replied easily. "He taught me and my friend all about the meaning of things like flowers, colors, and animals."

Just then Zack's PHS went off and he quickly answered it. He turned his back so that Cloud couldn't read his lips but the blonde could still see how tense he was. After only a couple minutes he hung up and turned back around, looking sheepish.

"Got to go," he said. "SOLDIER is attacking Cosmo Canyons tomorrow and I need to be on the front lines. See ya Spiky!" He left instantly, not noticing the look of panic on Cloud's face.

'Krysta! They're attacking Cosmo Canyon tomorrow!'

_Are you sure?_

'Zack just told me. What are we going to do? That's been our headquarters forever!'

_Relax Cloud. We'll think of something. Just sit tight. And if anything happens, you remember how to get out, right?_

'Yeah.'

_Then do it. I'll probably be gone for a few days. Reno will watch you till the General gets back. Okay?_

'No but go anyway. Just tell everyone that if anyone dies I'm never talking to them again.'

_Yes Cloud. Good luck._

Nervously, Cloud lay back on his bed. He really wanted to help them but his place was there just then. He'd just have to trust that they knew what they were doing and would be fine. Thinking those thoughts, he finally drifted off to sleep, surrounded by the scent of buttercups.

XxXxXxXxX

_Babble time: And another one is done. Hmm…well, I had responses on the poll! Only six though. So I'll leave it up for a couple more days. Please vote! I'm begging here. On to the reviews!_

_Sephirothpaine squallpaine: Yes, Sephiroth is falling in love with Cloud and vice versa. Now to see if it goes anywhere._

_CreotiaFlayier: Yeah! My cat is going to pay! Thank you so much! (Ahem) Now that that is out of the way, I'm glad you liked it. I wasn't sure there was enough bondage but now that I've completed my promise I can relax._

_UltimateNinjaOfDoom: I'm glad you liked it. Yeah, it was sort of cool how Cloud knew Ian's age so exactly. That's like super mother's intuition._

_Lady-yuna7: That's the best kind of love! Actually, it's not, but it is here. Also, no, Ian was not raised by Hojo. That I can say right now. But he was raised in ShinRa._

_Dragi: Lol, you really have Zack pegged. Umm…I don't think I'm going to clue Hojo in on Cloud or the pregnancy thing. I just hate him to much. Let him burn and die for all I care._

_Dawn Chase: Only the shadow knows. Mwahahahahaha! Lol, jk._

_Okay then, most of you are saying, 'I wonder how Seph is going to react when he finds out he's a father' or something along those lines so I'll say this right now. He does not, repeat, NOT find out until after Cloud escapes and is back in AVALANCHE so just chill out. He will find out but not for a long time._

_Thanks for reading! TTFN! And vote!_


	13. A new relationship

Reluctantly, Cloud got up from the toilet. That was the fifth morning he'd woken up about to barf. Gaia, he hadn't been this sick with Ian. What was wrong with him? Was there something wrong with the baby? Granted, having the hard sex that he and Seph did nearly everyday couldn't really be good for the child. But what else was he to do? He couldn't refuse the man.

Hearing the door open, Cloud poked his head out before smiling. "Krysta," he greeted, stepping back into the room. The teen just nodded, clearly distracted. For a second her gaze flicked to his stomach when she smiled tightly.

"You're what, seven weeks gone now?" she asked, relaxing. The blonde noticed but let it slide.

"Yeah, there abouts," he said with a shrug before sitting on the bed. "Now, why are you here?" His friend instantly tensed again. She wandered the room for a bit, refusing to meet his gaze, before sighing and falling onto the couch.

"What do you think about Zack?" she suddenly asked, catching Cloud off guard. He stared at her for a few moments before shrugging.

"He's okay. Awesome for a SOLDIER. Major idiot, as the flowers are proof of. But friendly and helpful. Sort of sad that he's our enemy. Why?" Krysta fidgeted for a moment before sighing.

"He asked me on a date," she muttered, blushing. Cloud stared for a moment longer before bursting into laughter. He couldn't even stop when she leveled her killing glare at him. Gaia, Fate truly did hate every single one of them. He was AVALANCHE leader, best friends with the Turks SiC and pregnant with the general of SOLDIER's baby and she was AVALANCHE SiC and she was being asked on a date by the SOLDIER SiC.

"What did we do to piss off Fate?" he asked through laughs. Her lips quirked up slightly, her version of laughing. It wasn't long before it morphed into a full out though rare smile.

"I'll ask Aerith," she said dryly, feeling better. Even without her own sense of humor Cloud's laughter and joking always made her feel better. "But putting that aside, what do I do? Nearly all the females in this whole bloody tower would kill to date him. If I refuse they will be furious and I'd rather not fight them. On the other hand, if I go with him he may figure out who I am."

"I doubt that," Cloud scoffed before her glare cut her off.

"He caught your mind trick," she told him flatly, seeing him wince. "He fought you and knows your skill. Don't forget Cloud, he's SOLDIER SiC. Sephiroth wouldn't have given him that position if he wasn't good at his job. I've seen him on the battlefield a lot more then you have. He's fast, dangerous, and totally focused. This goof, idiot, and clumsiness thing of his is an act. Of that, I am certain." Then her lips twitched again. "Although, I will concede that he is an idiot when it comes to flowers."

Leaning back, Cloud thought about all she'd said. Shiva curse him, she was right. He'd totally forgotten that the raven had caught him at the mind trick. Sephiroth was cool and perfect in everything he did; he wouldn't settle for sub-par SiC. But wait, then why did he tell Cloud about the attack a couple weeks back?

Putting that thought aside, Cloud observed his Le'Tran. She was obviously upset and worried but there was something else. A small warmth and…longing.

"You want to do it, don't you," he whispered. His tone made it clear that it was not a question. Miserably, she nodded anyway. She couldn't explain why but she really wanted to date the raven man. She'd watched him this whole time and just felt drawn to him.

"It won't come to anything anyway," she said suddenly, the cold truth hitting her chest hard. "He's just a big flirt. He'll date a girl for a while then move on. It's nothing big."

"Of course it's big," Cloud snapped, making Krysta jump in surprise. "I don't care who he is; no one uses my Le'Tran for their own pleasure then dumps her. Listen, I'm not going to say you can't date him. Ah, shut your mouth. I realize as your Sh'Adi I can dictate that stuff but I don't want to. It's still your life and I will not run it. All I'm going to say is that if he does end up dumping you for no reason I will hunt him down and kill him. Got it?" Krysta couldn't stop but smile at Cloud's protectiveness but nodded anyway. Her heart felt lighter as she finally got up.

"Well then, I've got a date tonight," she said happily before her eyes snapped to the door in surprise. Instantly her hood was up, a second before Sephiroth swept in. His cold gaze fell on her for a moment before she saluted and left. Once she was gone his green eyes met Cloud's and the blonde shrugged, searching for a suitable excuse.

"She's my guard," he said easily. "Just checking in, making sure I'm okay." Thinking to score her some points he continued, "She's also the one who saved me from my suicide attempt." As predicted, the General's eyes darkened at the memory but he relaxed. Apparently that was a huge point in her favor.

Deciding there had been enough talking, Sephiroth pulled off his clothes before crawling on top of Cloud. Slowly, he leaned down and captured the blonde's lips in a kiss. Gently he moved against the younger, swallowing the boy's moans. Already could feel his partner was hard and reached down to stroke the heavy cock. Even though he tried he couldn't fully stop the blonde's moan at his touch. Although he did notice a slight rumble in the boy's chest, reminding him of a dog's version of a purr. Smiling, he released those perfect lips and moved to kissing his partner's jaw and neck.

Groaning, Cloud let his arms reach around the older man and clung to him. He felt the General chuckle but was to lost in pleasure to care. All he could focus on was the intense feelings running through him. It felt like he was melting from the pleasure. It was literally all he could do hold on to the man above him. He didn't even notice when he climaxed, to lost in everything to pick up on just one thing. It also escaped his notice when the General started preparing him. However, his mind did snap back to reality when Sephiroth thrust in. To his utter embarrassment, he actually keened, arching up into his partner. This time he distinctly felt the General laughed but couldn't be angry as fore mentioned General started pounding into him. Instantly he was swept away with the pleasure.

Rocking against the older man Cloud suddenly realized there was no self-hate. He wasn't disgusted with himself anymore. No, if anything he felt proud. Why? Because he was having sex with the most powerful man on the planet? Cause if that was all he'd be pissed off at himself again. No…that wasn't it. So what was it? Was it because he loved the General? Yes, he admitted that he loved the man. He had no clue why but he did. And then there was the baby.

Everything snapped into place. That's why he had no more self-hate. He was carrying the baby of the man he loved. If he hated himself it was the same as hating the life he and Sephiroth had created and that he could not do.

Just then Sephiroth groaned, climaxing strongly within the blonde. The boy also climaxed, arching his back off the bead, nearly keening in pleasure. For a brief moment the General noticed that the boy's stomach was a little rounder then normal like he'd overeaten but the thought was quickly washed away by the post-orgasm bliss. He managed to stop himself from collapsing on the blonde and went to pull out when two lithe legs wrapped around his waist. Surprised, he looked down into those blue eyes to see his partner biting their lip nervously.

"Stay?" Cloud asked hesitantly. He had no idea how the man would react but…he didn't want him to go just yet. A couple tense seconds passed before Sephiroth reached down to roll Cloud on his stomach, still within him. Once that was complete the General settled down beside the boy, pulling the small body in so that they were spooned together. He felt the blonde's happy sigh as he snuggled in closer, still attached. They lay like that for a time when Sephiroth suddenly noticed the vase and flowers.

"And just what are those?" he asked, making Cloud stir. The blonde, seeing what the General was looking at, chuckled.

"Buttercups. Zack sent them." A single arched brow over a slightly surprised green eye. "Ah, Zack's been sending me flowers since I got here. First Lily's of the Valley, then daisies, and now buttercups. Really, the man's an idiot."

"How so?" the SOLDIER asked, intrigued. He instantly noticed when the boy flinched and frowned. Why did he get the feeling he'd just been given a great amount of information that he needed? Cloud, in the meantime, was cursing himself. How could he let that part slip? He wasn't acting anything like a cowed or beaten prisoner. No, he was talking to the General of SOLDIER like he would Krysta or Tifa. He'd have to be careful now.

"It's their meanings," he said carefully. "Every flower means something. The first batch meant chastity, the second innocence, and the third immaturity."

"How did you learn that?" Sephiroth asked, actively searching for information. They had no information on his toy and he felt like he was close to learning something. Anything to finally have a name for the brat.

"An old Wutain taught me," was Cloud's vague reply. He felt safe in revealing that as nearly all Wutain's were well versed in the meanings of plants and signs. Just as he thought, he could almost feel the disappointment in the man behind him. No leads then.

Before they could continue the General's PHS went off. Disgusted, he gently pulled out and fetched it, irritably flicking it open and snapping, "What?" His face changed suddenly, turning serious and thoughtful. "I understand. Ready the first two squads of SOLDIER's and gather the seventh and tenth battalions of army. We'll need to move fast to stop them." After a moment more the man shut his phone and dressed quickly. Without thinking he kissed Cloud on the brow and whispered, "I'll see you soon," before leaving. It wasn't until he was nearly to his transport that his actions caught up with him, making him pause. Had he seriously just kissed his toy goodbye? Maybe it was time to see Hojo as something was obviously wrong with him. But…if it was wrong…why did it feel so right?

XxXxXxXxX

_Babble time: I guess I'll end it there then. Could have gone a bit more but I like that ending. So, what you all think? Hmm…the poll is getting interesting. So far most of you are saying no one else but the two runner ups are Zack and random guard. Man, you guys are crueler then I am. Random guard indeed. Well, you have two more days to vote so please hurry and do so. Now then, on to the reviews!_

_Unlikelyplace02: You're leaving? (sobs) I'll miss you! You're right though; Cloud won't be staying much longer. Reno is still trying to decide just how loyal he is to the Turks and Cloud so I'll get back to you on that. Leta t yon rel will be explained soon and no, Zack is fine for now. See ya later!_

_UltimateNinjaOfDoom: Yep, I was nice to Cloud and let him out. Glad you like it._

_Lady-yuna7: Of course he talked to the baby, Lol. It's part of his life. Umm…yeah, I think Seph is going to be a little hurt when Cloud leaves. But don't worry; if everything works out he's going to be in the child's life._

_Dragi: Really, everyone is just spilling everything to Cloud. He's the perfect spy, no? Lol. He won't stay there much longer, don't worry._

_Dawn Chase: ROFLMAO! Don't worry; he'll be doing his homework from now on._

_CreotiaFlayier: Sorry! But look! Seph is back now! (nods) The only thing keeping Cloud in the tower is his desire to get the information. Still, that will make braking him out so much easier. On a different note, tell BOB that my cat will be joining him soon. The stupid monster attacked me when I lay on the floor today! My arm is still bleeding a little. Grr…I'm killing her._

_By the way all, there are only…wait for it…seven chapters left! Well, give or take a couple. So, yeah. Enjoy it while you can._

_Thanks for reading! TTFN!_


	14. Broken relationship

Grumbling, Cloud pushed the pillow away from his face. His internal clock told him it was the middle of the night but he was restless. Well, nervous actually but he'd gut the first person to say that. But really, how could he not be? Sephiroth had been acting weird the past few days and not in a good way. Actually, he'd been rather brusque since he'd returned from that unexpected deployment. All Krysta could tell him was that the General was taking out his anger on everyone, Zack included. In fact the raven was apparently terrified of stepping foot outside his apartment.

Krysta also reported that a bunch of the First class SOLDIER's were apparently gathering supplies. It seemed like it was going to be a long trip simply by how much they were gathering. She wasn't entirely sure what was going to happen though. The most common rumor was that ShinRa was resorting to the same guerilla tactics AVALANCHE relied on but neither she nor Cloud believed that. It just wasn't SOLDIER style. Rather, Krysta had another, more terrifying theory. She had heard Hojo complaining about needing fresh samples for his experiments.

She knew this included humans. Therefore, considering how much time Sephiroth had been spending with the man since the strange behavior had begun it was reasonable to assume the General was going to get more samples.

Cloud felt downright ill at the thought. It was nearly impossible for his mind to connect that the man he loved was going to collect humans that would go through the same, if not worse, then Cloud himself had gone through. The only thing he could do was tell his fears to Reno. The redhead was also rather disturbed but had no answers. Tseng had been watching him closely, knowing there was a connection between the Turk and prisoner. In fact he had often come close to figuring it all out. It was nearly to the point where Reno was begging for Cloud to escape. By that time he truly feared for his brother's life and that didn't even take the baby into consideration.

So there was Cloud, in the middle of the night, trying to figure out what he was going to do. He was now nearing the three months stage in his pregnancy and was already gaining a bulge. That scared him since he knew that shouldn't be happening for a couple more months. He'd tried searching with his mind and hadn't managed to find anything strange. Krysta had noted at one time that it had felt like he was actually four separate life forces but then, that day, her sensing skills weren't to be trusted much. After all, your mental capabilities sort of go on the fritz when you're hit over the head with a metal chair by an irate prisoner. After lecturing the girl on trying to subdue a prisoner beside him the blonde had instantly started planning his revenge on the other poor scut. If it hadn't been for the fact that Krysta had ultimately shattered the man's jaw he would probably still be on the war path. Still, she had only sensed the four life signs that one time and they had both dismissed it later as a misread. But he was getting off subject.

Things were getting rather tense in AVALANCHE as well. His inner circle was working hard but people were starting to question his absence in their lives. After all, he'd never been a leader to hide from his people so after near about six months without him it was understandable that they were worried. True, Krysta would sometimes sneak out and impersonate him in battles but that didn't cut it for his men. If it went on much longer the SOLDIER's would begin to pick up on it and that was not needed at all.

Growling, the blonde finally rolled out of bed and started pacing his room. Gaia, this sucked. He was a prisoner and he was still expected to lead an army. There was something seriously messed up about that. Although, really, there was something seriously messed up about this whole thing. He had certainly never imagined things would end up this way six months ago. If he had he never would have gone through with it. No, he would have insisted on finding a different way to get the information.

Speaking of the information, Cloud was starting to feel guilty about that. He knew that every time he sent AVALANCHE the advance warning he was dooming the army and SOLDIER's to suffer more casualties and fatalities. Krysta had told him only the day before that Genesis had joined the ranks of severely injured. All because Cloud had passed on the news of the upcoming attack. True, the blonde felt like that particular SOLDIER deserved it but apparently Zack had also lost a close friend. Not Angeal but another First class. The raven was still mourning for his friend, not knowing that he was sending flowers to the one who had basically been the cause of his death. The whole thing was just piling up, threatening to suffocate him.

Gaia damn it, he was only sixteen! He shouldn't be going through things like this! Freaking hell, his biggest worries should be pursuing the hottest girl he could find. Maybe sneaking out of his parents watchful eyes at night to do something stupid. Carrying his second child, leading an army, fighting a war, and struggling with moral issues that would give a priest a headache weren't on the list of things he should be doing. It was just a sad testament to his life that they were on the list of what he _was_ doing instead.

Fighting the urge to cry, the blonde finally settled onto the couch. All the thoughts were racing through his mind and he couldn't focus on anything. His vision swam as he tried to hold on to a single thought. That proved to be impossible but he tried anyway. After all, the only other thing he could do was cause himself self harm and he knew that Krysta and Sephiroth both would murder him for that.

Just then the door to his cell opened and he looked up in surprise. "Sephiroth," he said, utterly shocked that the older man was there. Then all thought vanished as he launched himself at the General. If said man was surprised he didn't show it, instead catching the blonde instantly and pulling him for a fierce kiss. In the back of his mind Cloud wondered how a kiss could remind him of battle but this one did. Still, he couldn't miss the sense of desperation in it. Even as he kissed back with increased fervor he felt his heart sink.

His mind must have checked out for a moment before the next thing he knew he was on the bed with a naked General above him. The man was already fisting the blonde's erection and Cloud was hard pressed not to moan and scream in pleasure. He could still sense the urgency and respond in kind, franticly thrusting up into the hand. Sadly he didn't last long and came with a scream. For a brief second he knew that his actions had woken a very disgruntled Krysta but didn't care. All he cared about was the fear and panic that was welling within him. Taking a chance, a big one, he pulled his lover's head down and hissed in his ear, "I want to ride you."

Instantly the man froze and for a second Cloud was afraid he'd gone too far. That fear promptly vanished as Sephiroth grabbed him and rolled over so that the blonde was laying on him. Nervously, Cloud tried to remember how to breathe as he reached behind him and lined the man's cock up with his hole. For a single, tense second the two men stared at each other, both a little nervous, before Cloud let himself be impaled. Instantly his eyes closed and he moaned in pleasure. He could feel the General shudder and somehow knew the older man was fighting the urge to thrust up into him. Taking mercy, though he wasn't sure on whom, Cloud slid down the rest of the way in one smooth motion.

Fully seated inside the blonde, Sephiroth realized with only a little surprise, that he didn't really mind not being in control. The mere idea had been so inconceivable just a few days before but now he welcomed it. And he knew why too. It was because this was proof that the blonde, no, his blonde at least shared his feelings. Their actions were no longer rape or fucking. For the first time the older man thought that he could actually call it making love. For yes, he realized that he loved the blonde. More then he had ever loved anyone else.

Finally ready, Cloud started moving on top of the General. He bit his lips to hold in his cries until Sephiroth reached up a hand to pull his lip free. It was like he was giving permission and suddenly the room was filled with Cloud's moans and cries. He started lifting himself off the General only to slam back down, loving the feeling inside him. Yes, he was careful about his baby bump but kept moving. He didn't miss the rape at all but he admitted that he was partial to the rougher side of sex. After so long in the labs pain was one of the few things that proved he was alive. Krysta tended to keep him grounded but there were still times when all Cloud needed was pure and rough pain.

Feeling the familiar coil in his stomach Cloud started crying. He knew his time was coming to a close and he was terrified. Somehow he knew that everything was going to change after this. Something would happen and they'd never be able to go back to this. Aerith had called it his Cetra sense, whenever he could feel out the future. All he knew was that it irritated him in the past and scared him now. He didn't want this to end but he couldn't stop it either. All he could do was continue to move and hope that the future wasn't as bleak as he thought.

Seeing his toy's, no, his lover's tears, Sephiroth felt a pain within him. He couldn't believe that he was leaving this behind. True, it wasn't forever, but their relationship, if it could be called that, was so new he wasn't sure it would survive. Instead of voicing his thoughts though he did the only thing he could. He pulled his lover's head down and gently licked the tears away.

The added feeling of the licks drove Cloud over the edge and he came with a scream. Feeling the pulsing around his cock Sephiroth soon followed, biting the pale neck before him so hard he tasted blood. For a moment neither man moved before Cloud collapsed onto the General. He made a move to get off when two strong arms came up to hold him close. Surprised, he looked up into those green eyes. He was always the one to initiate that holding and cuddling. What was going on?

Sensing the boy's confusion, Sephiroth sighed and met those blue eyes. Not one to stall he bluntly said, "I'm being shipped out tomorrow." Even knowing it was coming Cloud couldn't stop the panic in his stomach nor the tears on his cheeks. "Hojo needs some new samples and I was appointed to gather them." Knowing that humans were on the list of things to gather Cloud was flooded with rage. Angrily, he ripped away from the General, forgetting that he wasn't supposed to show his true strength. Luckily his reaction seemed to have been surprising enough that the older man didn't notice. He just stared in shock as the blonde stalked away as far as he could, refusing to look at the man in his bed. Briefly he felt Krysta brush his mind but didn't dare open the connection. He knew that if Tseng and Zack could catch him Sephiroth could to.

Confused, the General got up and approached the boy, a hand out to touch him. His hand was struck away and he stared at the furious blue eyes of his lover. "Don't touch me," Cloud spat. "Don't ever touch me again."

"What's wrong?" Sephiroth asked, utterly confused. What had he said to make the blonde so angry? He couldn't think of anything.

"I know how the labs work," Cloud snapped, forgetting all reasons for secrecy. "Look me in the eye and tell me that you aren't collecting humans and I'll beg your forgiveness. If you can't do that then get out and never touch me again."

Sephiroth wanted desperately to do as he was told for once. He couldn't stand the thought of losing his lover now. But he knew that humans, specifically young boys, were on the list of things to gather. He and his SOLDIER's would be making quite a few stops at the orphanages to gather all they'd need. So he was unable to lie to the angry teen before him.

"I thought so," Cloud hissed, utterly disgusted. "You've made your answer clear; now get out." Sephiroth reached out, desperate to try and explain, only to have his hand slapped away again. "I said get out!" Silently, the General obeyed.

Sobbing, Cloud collapsed to the ground, clutching his stomach. How could he kick away the one man he loved more then life? But on the other hand, how could he love someone who collected humans, knowing what they'd be used for? Those questions warred within Cloud for the rest of the night. By the time Krysta came in, like she did every morning, he was just a small ball on his bed. He looked up at her with blurry eyes only to see her shake her head.

"They left half an hour ago," she said sadly. She'd felt the flood of emotions coming from her Sh'Adi and could only watch in pity as his whimpered and curled up tighter. Hesitantly she reached out only to have her hand slapped away like Sephiroth's had been hours before. Resigned, she just sat beside her friend's bed, not speaking or moving but there nonetheless.

XxXxXxXxX

_Babble time: It's 93* here and my A/C is out so I'm outright miserable. Seems I'm taking it out on my characters considering both stories just got a depressing update. Oh well, on to the reviews._

_xXxXx: Huh? Oh! Lol, I didn't mean end the story there. I meant end the chapter there. Sorry about that; didn't mean to confuse people like that. Yeah, I still have a few chapters to go before the end of the story which has a much more satisfying ending then that._

_Lady-yuna7: Cloud runs away because he's afraid of Hojo, not because of Sephiroth. Don't worry, as I've said countless times, Sephiroth does learn about his child. Relax._

_Dragi: Ah…point there. Well, hey, he's still a good spy. Just…not everything is turning out as he thought it would._

_CreotiaFlayier: Sorry, Ian is not Denzel. Denzel does appear in the story later but he's not Ian. However, he is well known and I tweaked him a bit for my story. No more hints now. (sigh) Tell BOB it may be a while. Today my cat just randomly jumped in my lap and curled up before purring like an engine. Now I'm to happy to kill her. Still, she'll show up next time she draws my blood. Yep, story is winding up. Gaia, I hate ending stories._

_Thanks for reading! TTFN!_


	15. Midnight run

Another night. Another nightmare. Another blood curdling scream waking Cloud in the middle of the night. Another night sobbing because Sephiroth wasn't there. It had been like that for the week since the General had left. Krysta did everything possible as a Le'Tran but even she couldn't help. Besides, she was missing her own boyfriend. True, she and Zack had only been dating for a couple weeks but she was truly smitten with the raven. It didn't help any when she realized that she'd have to fight him on the battlefields soon.

Krysta wasn't even in the tower just then. A couple days into the whole thing Cloud had sent her out to try and save the orphans he knew the SOLDIER's would be targeting. Cases like his and Reno's were very rare. After all, it wouldn't do the SOLDIER PR any good to kidnap kids. Better to just clean orphanages out and use the kids no one will miss. AVALANCHE was doing all they could to save the kids themselves but found themselves stretched thin. Angeal and Genesis were making sure they couldn't take advantage of Sephiroth's absence. Those two men were nearly as good as the famed General alone and together they were devastating. Krysta, supreme warrior, actually got injured when facing them. Of course, that just made Cloud even more furious at Genesis but that was beside the point. Living here in the tower, being exposed to such people, he began to doubt AVALANCHE's ability to win.

Finally feeling his terror of the nightmare fade, Cloud got up and started pacing once more. He truly did hate the act but it was all he could. Actually, he shuddered when he realized just how out of shape he had become. If he faced Zack on the battlefield now he'd be defeated in a moment. Probably wouldn't even slow the raven down. Sephiroth wouldn't even notice him right then in battle. Cloud snorted at the thought. Somehow he doubted he'd live up to his fame of making SOLDIER's shudder in fear anymore. More like wet themselves laughing.

Absently, his hand went to rub his stomach. He could definitely feel his baby bump now and was curious. Krysta had managed to get him PHS access to Aerith a couple days before and the Cetra had told him, hypothetically of course, that it wasn't unusual to show earlier in a second or more pregnancy. Something about the muscles being more relaxed. Of course, she also said that skinny people might take a longer time of showing. Cloud wasn't exactly thin but he wasn't near as big and buff as most other men. So, shouldn't that have evened it out a bit? The only other thing would be if he was carrying more then one child. That would obviously make him a bit bigger. The problem was, except for that one time, he and Krysta had never felt more then two lives within him. His own and his child's.

About to go crazy, Cloud jumped in surprise when the door opened. Krysta slipped in, her hair ruffled and her gaze furious. "For Gaia's sake Cloud," she hissed. "This is the seventh night in a row you've woken me with a scream. The least you can do is settle down and let me return to sleep. But no! I have to come all the way back to this bloody tower because not only do you wake me every night but you also close off your mind so I can't berate you from a distance."

"Sorry," Cloud muttered but he made no move to obey. He was far too restless. Of course, he felt the burning of her glare as he kept walking. Having given up pacing he was now doing laps of his cell. While his cell was obviously larger then most it was still rather small and he felt trapped. Rather, he felt like the lone wolf Yuffie had named him as. He just wanted to roam and was instead confined to this small cage. It was driving him out of his mind!

"If I let you out will you let me go back to sleep?" Krysta finally asked, resigned. She knew it was dangerous but what else could she do? If he was kept in that place much longer she wouldn't be surprise if he turned to suicide once more. It had been hard enough keeping him alive the first time; she didn't want to do it again.

"Could you?" Cloud asked, his eyes lighting up with hope. If he could just get out of that place, be outside for a bit. He needed the earth and wind to help control his thoughts. Maybe he could even come to terms with what he had said to Sephiroth a week ago.

"Wait here," his friend said sharply. She would help him but she was still pissed off at him. She was only gone for a couple of minutes before she returned, once again laden with a cadet's uniform. She dropped the bundle with an unceremonious thump before leaving. If she hurried she could be back out of the tower and then sleep for a couple more hours before returning to the orphanage clearing they were doing.

Ignoring her, Cloud tugged the clothes on eagerly. It would be the first time he'd been out in two months and he wasn't going to let it slip away. Once everything was in place he cautiously slid out of his cell and made for the surface. In minutes he was there and jogging in the moonlight. Eagerly, he looked up only to whine in disappointment since he couldn't see the stars. How could people stand not seeing the stars?

Moving around the grounds Cloud, reluctantly, had to admit it was well setup for an attack. If he ever managed to get his army there they'd be defeated easily. Or at least they would if he didn't have insider knowledge. So he started walking with a purpose, memorizing as much as he could. The lay of the land, the distance between immovable objects, the security system. Even little things like the type of ground in each area. After all, that would make a huge difference in a fight.

Suddenly his eyes spotted the SOLDIER obstacle course. Instantly, he was filled with the urge to run it. So, since no one was around, he did. He didn't have a way to time himself but he had a feeling he did alright. True, he had problems at spots. Like, seriously, who besides a bonified SOLDIER would be able to leap over a thirty foot wide and seven foot deep whole in the ground? Well, maybe some sort of mutated deer could. Wasn't that saying something? He was comparing SOLDIER's to deer. Gaia, he'd been in that cell to long.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?"

Startled, Cloud spun around to see a SOLDIER jogging over to him. Despite the hard words there was a look of amusement on the man's face. Seeing he was a Second class SOLDIER, Cloud snapped into attention and saluted. Inwardly he smirked, thinking that Sephiroth would be pissed to know any AVALANCHE member could pass as a cadet. It was something they learned early on. After all, you were never sure when it could save your life. Like, say, now.

"You're supposed to be in your barracks, Cadet," the SOLDIER admonished, the mirth still in his face and voice. Frantically, Cloud tried to remember who this SOLDIER was. He hadn't seen him around in battle but that meant nothing. He didn't normally pay attention to who he was fighting as far as face and appearance went. Normally he just focused on their weapon and backup.

"I'm sorry, sir," he said, trying to cover it up. "I couldn't sleep and decided to go for a walk." He saw a shadow move near the tower and let his eyes flick over there, thankful for the helmet that hid his face. No sense letting his presence be openly known. Beside, now the SOLDIER didn't know he wasn't looking at him.

"Look at me, cadet, not the tower." Cloud's eyes snapped back to the full blown smile. How did he do that?

"Cadet," the SOLDER said, his feet spread slightly. "I understand what you meant by doing this. Gaia knows, when I can't sleep I like to do the same thing. But under no conditions are cadets allowed out of the barracks after curfew." Cloud made note of that. "Therefore I will escort you back to your barracks but I won't report you. Understood?"

"Yes sir," Cloud said but he was sweating. How the hell was he going to get out of this one? Just about to resign himself to killing the SOLDIER Cloud was interrupted.

"Hello Kunsel."

It took all of Cloud's will power not to yelp at the voice. His head did snap towards the new person who was walking over. Seeing the relaxed pose and lit cigarette the blonde resolved to punch him as soon as possible.

"Ah, Reno. Hello. I guess you got night patrol duty?" the SOLDIER, Kunsel, greeted back. Now that he had a name, Cloud placed him. This man was supposedly Zack's best friend besides Angeal and rather knowledgeable about both ShinRa and the Turks. He wasn't really much of a fighter but he was a nightmare when it came to moving against him. Actually, it was Krysta's belief that Kunsel single handedly created and ran the group of spies in AVALANCHE. This led to him being, in personal terms, the SOLDIER Cloud both respected and hated the most.

"Nah, actually I'm just out for a stroll, yo!" Reno said, taking another drag from his cancer stick. Cloud fought with the intense desire to rip it out of the redhead's mouth. For the love of Odin, did the jerk want to die a premature death? Those aqua green eyes turned to Cloud and smirked. "Got caught, did ya?"

"Yes sir," Cloud replied calmly. He nearly laughed at the panic that flared in the Turk's eyes. He knew the prat would recognize his voice. Now, the question was, how would he help him out?

"Want me to escort him back?" Reno asked. "After all, you _are_ on night patrol, yo. Don't want you having to stay off. Besides, it's on my way."

"Sure," Kunsel said easily, shrugging. "He's all yours. Just make sure he ends up in his own bed and not yours. I'd rather not hear about Tseng screeching at all his Turks because of you again. Makes for rather dull gossip. See ya around!" And with that he walked off, his hands in his pockets and whistling some off beat tune. Cloud just watched him in shock. That was a Second class SOLDIER? If they all or even most acted like him in Zack in their off hours how did they manage to stay sane?

"Let's go cadet," Reno said, grabbing Cloud's arm. Quietly he growled, "Are you out of your ever freaking head or did Hojo screw with you more then I thought he did?"

"You try being caged for nearly six months," Cloud growled back. "See how you do. Besides, how the hell was I supposed to know about the rules for cadets? It's not like anyone told me." Silence fell as they walked back to the prison. Quickly they snuck through till they were back in Cloud's cell. Distracted, the blonde started stripping. Suddenly he paused and looked at Reno with wary eyes. "What did he mean by making sure I made it back into my bed and not yours?" Nervously, Reno chuckled and rubbed the back of his head.

"Ah, that. I, uh, sort of have gotten a reputation of, um, sleeping with a lot of people," he muttered, obviously embarrassed. Cloud just snorted and lifted a single brow.

"You're a slut?" he asked, somehow not having any trouble believing that. This was Reno he was talking about after all. Nothing could surprise him anymore about his friend. "And I'm assuming you're bi since I was obviously male and Kunsel still made the comment." Reno just shifted nervously, making Cloud chuckle. Taking pity on his friend the blonde resumed undressing. However, he couldn't resist teasing. "So, who is the one person you want to fuck the most but know you never can?" The redhead muttered something but it was to quiet for Cloud to hear. "Um, say that again? I missed it."

"You."

Freezing, Cloud looked over, shock clear on his face. It didn't surprise him to find Reno's face as red as his hair. "I've always wanted you," the Turk muttered. "Even back when we were kids and I didn't know what sex was. I guess I've…always loved you."

"Reno…" Cloud said, at a loss for words. He was saved by the redhead's sudden smile. There was a tinge of sadness in it but not as much as the blonde had thought."It's okay Cloud. You're my little brother and that's enough. Besides, after all these years it would just be way too weird. Well, that and you currently belong to the General. Ah, don't throw that pillow at me brat! I was speaking technically, not really. Sheesh, touchy. Well, I better go before Kunsel decides to come looking for me. Sleep better, okay?" Cloud nodded and smiled as his friend left with the cadet clothes. It was a little strange but at least he knew it wouldn't affect their friendship.

After a few minutes Cloud was about to return to bed when his door opened once more. Irked, he turned around to glare before paling in fear. Standing at his door was a mixture of guards, infantrymen, and SOLDIERS. To his heightened senses he could tell each and every one of them was sexual aroused.

That could not be good.

"Look what we have here," one of the guards sneered. "Seems someone just left the General's toy lying around. Can't let it get lonely, can we?" They all chuckled, looking like piranha's about to move in. Frantically, Cloud backed up, ready to fight his way out. Yes he was supposed to be spying but no way in hell was he going to let these people use him that way. Sephiroth was the only one allowed to have sex with him! Wait, when did that happen? However, suddenly, the blonde felt all his strength vanish. Gasping, he fell to the floor, his arms around his stomach. Frantically his mind tried to figure out what was going on, and then he remembered. The same thing had happened his first pregnancy. As soon as he passed the four month mark nearly all his strength went into keeping the baby alive. Something about his body not actually being built for or strong enough to bear children. All that mattered right then was, because of that, he couldn't fight back. Terrified, he reached out for Krysta but couldn't find her. She was too far and he was too weak. In the end all he could do was watch as the men closed in and whimper.

Sephiroth, where are you?

XxXxXxXxX

_Babble time: Okay then, that's it for this chapter. Sorry I didn't get this up yesterday. I just got Shark Week on DVD and have watched it all day. Sharks are so cool! Uh…yeah. Sorry again. Also, (points to above ending) sorry about that as well. Most people didn't want Cloud having sex with anyone else but I needed him to be raped a lot for the story to continue. However, I refuse to write it out. I'm not that sick. So you can all use your imagination here and enjoy it that way. On to the reviews!_

_Lady-yuna7: Sephiroth has to follow orders like a good little SOLDIER. It isn't like he enjoys doing stuff like this. Uh…not so sure about making up. Maybe in the very end. Mostly because Cloud won't be there much longer._

_UltimateNinjaOfDoom: Seph is turning out very interesting in this story. Never had him develop quite this way before._

_Kurosaki9: Wow! You read this whole thing starting at 11:00 at night? Kudos my friend; I never could have done that. Hojo will not find out about Cloud until Cloud is safely out of his reach. I'm cruel but not that cruel. Uh…he's just reached four months here so…yeah._

_CreotiaFlayier: Don't worry, I will make them into more then fuck buddies. Cloud will not have Kadaj and his brothers; I did that story already. :P That one is called Mother. No, he'll have someone different this time. Tell BOB I understand but how can I not love it when my cat purrs for me? She'll die soon enough, trust me._

_Dragi: Nuala? May I ask where that came from? But sure! The kid will be named Nuala. Lol, sorry, no leashes in this story. Cloud is far too independent for that._

_Omgitskerby: (sigh) you know, you picked the worst chapter to comment on? Most of your questions are answered in chapter 10. Also, it's 'Krysta'. Not 'Krystala'. Plus, we'll have to agree to disagree. What you call confusing I call mystery. I have every intention of explaining everything in time and the mystery keeps you interested. One last thing; I abhor abortions. I will die before I write about an abortion so if it does bother you then stop reading. All that aside, I'm glad you like my story. Just next time please read all my chapters before you comment as they may hold the answers you're looking for._

_Thanks for reading! TTFN!_


	16. Free at last

Sobbing, Cloud couldn't stop himself from rocking against his partner. There was no pleasure in his moves but he knew that if he didn't move it would just be worse. Although, really, how rape could get worse he didn't know. When he felt the sudden jerk he nearly cried out in relief as the other man released inside him. It was over. Gaia be praised, it was over.

The blonde was so numb he didn't even notice when the other man ripped out of him and shoved him to the ground. He just curled up in a ball, his arms around his stomach as he sobbed. Though he could hear someone speaking he couldn't focus on the words. Surely by now they knew that.

It had been another month and Sephiroth still wasn't back yet. After that first horrible night of rape it felt like he had an unending stream of men in his cell. He felt so used and dirty that he could hardly think of himself as human. It wasn't anything like it had been with Sephiroth. Yes, he still thought of those first few months with nothing but revulsion but the man had changed. Slowly he had morphed into a true partner; lover even. Hell, at the very least he was going to be the father of Cloud's kid. There had to be a plus in there somewhere.

These other men were nothing like that. They never tried to see Cloud as anything more then a convenient fuck. Each one wanted him to act a certain way and would beat him if he didn't comply. This made his actions confusing and awkward every time as he was never sure how to react. Many times he thanked Gaia that he couldn't miscarry. He'd grown far too attached to his child.

Krysta had finally returned a week after the rape had started. She was livid upon hearing what had happened and was fully ready to break Cloud out as soon as she'd murdered every single male that had touched him but the blonde managed to stop her. He was learning far more then he'd thought possible and thought it important he stay for a while. Of course, his thoughts started changing drastically when it had all simply grown worse. Now he was near frantic to escape. The only reason he stayed anymore was to say goodbye to Reno. The Turk had been sent on a mission hours after he'd returned the blonde to his cell and hadn't been heard from since. After six years of missing the redhead Cloud wasn't about to abandon him. But he wasn't sure how much more of this he could take.

It took a few hours but Cloud finally forced himself back to reality. He was alone once more as he forced himself to his feet. Dully he looked around his cell, wary of any lingering items. After all, his tormentors liked to leave traps for him. The last thing he wanted to do was trip one. But when he saw nothing he limped over to his bed and collapsed. His lower body throbbed in pain but he grit his teeth and bore it. He'd suffered worse though he couldn't remember when.

Lying on his back, Cloud tried to remember how this had all started. For a moment his mind was hazy but then he recalled his purpose. A slight smile tugged at his lips when he remembered. If only these wretched people knew who they were holding. He'd take great pleasure in telling them someday. Not right then, obviously, for he was still in their clutches. But someday he'd be free and as soon as he was he'd rub it in their faces. It would be the perfect revenge.

A slight twinge near his stomach made the blonde wince. True, he wouldn't ever truly be free of what happened here. Although, really, despite everything, things wouldn't be too bad. Tense, yes. Awkward, definitely. But not bad.

Tired, he turned his head towards the now ever present vase and smiled. A nurse had come only yesterday, pity clear on her face, to deliver them. Apparently Zack had called them and asked them to send the flowers to 'Chocoboy' as everyone was calling him. The raven had felt that the blonde needed some encouragement so what did he send? Carnations. Finally he'd gotten something right; carnations meant friendship. That and their spicy scent filled his cell with perfume and him with peace.

A clang made the blonde look up. His body wanted to jump up but he couldn't manage that much movement just then. A guard stepped in, hood pulled up as always. They closed the door before stalking over to the helpless boy. Yes, he was still a boy despite everything.

Cloud stayed tense until the mouth of his guard suddenly turned up in a smile. Relieved, the blonde relaxed and smiled back. "Hello Krysta," he rasped, his voice still raw from his screams. His friend simply pulled the hood down. Her sharp eyes trailed over his body but Cloud couldn't manage to feel awkward. After the last few weeks he was used to it.

"Cloud," Krysta whispered, kneeling down beside him. She didn't say anymore, just gently stroked his hair. The boy closed his eyes, letting the peace fill him. He knew it wouldn't be long before one of the other tormenters showed up. After all, he'd only been raped twice that day. He had at least five more to go before he hit normal. Instead he focused on his Le'Tran. Their bond was stretched to the breaking point and he knew it. His pain and humiliation had actually put a barrier up within the bond. He could no longer sense or feel Krysta. Though she felt pain at the action Krysta didn't object. She knew that right then Cloud's mind was very fragile and couldn't handle anyone else within it. All she could offer now was emotional support

"That's the last one," Krysta suddenly whispered though her movements never faltered. Cloud cracked a single eye open to glare at her. He didn't want to hear empty promises. He'd resigned himself to his fate weeks ago. There was no reason for his friend to offer him false hope. But said friend saw the glare and smiled grimly.

"I mean it Cloud," she insisted. "That was the last one. Ever. I know you won't believe me for now but hear me. You will never be raped again. This ends today."

Voices came from the hall, making Krysta glare at the door. Though she obviously didn't want to leave she flipped her hood back up and left. Cloud was again alone and he tried to fade in to sleep but his mind was churning. Despite his best efforts, he held out hope that she was right. That this was the last time. He rested his hand on his stomach once more as a single tear escape.

Please Gaia, let Krysta be right.

There were no more visitors that night, allowing Cloud to finally rest and sleep. The only other excitement that day was when he felt a faint stirring near his stomach. It wasn't enough to actually be called movement but it made him smile nonetheless. He could still recall when Ian had started to move. It was the strangest and most amazing feeling in the world. Really, it was the only thing he'd really been looking forward to this whole pregnancy. Everything else was just a pain in the ass.

Just as he was starting to doubt Krysta Cloud felt an explosion rock the building. Instantly his door shot open, revealing a panting Krysta and a bouncing Yuffie.

"We gotta go, we gotta go!" the ninja cried, sweeping into the cell and grabbing a couple things. For some reason Krysta insisted they bring certain items.

"I know, you bloody monkey," Krysta growled, quickly sheathing her sword and helping Cloud to his feet. "Just get those things and come on." Realizing Cloud couldn't walk she turned so that he was on her back. She heard his whimper as it pressed against his baby bulge but otherwise he was silent. Praying the exit would be easier then the entrance, Krysta started out, mindful not to jostle the blonde to much. Almost instantly Yuffie was on her heels and the two made a run for it. Turning towards the exit Krysta had to suddenly back-peddle, considering she nearly ran nose to nose with one Rude of the Turks. The surprise was great enough that by the time the Turk figured out what was going on Krysta was half way back down the hall. This was going to be rough.

-}-

"Blasted Turks," Yuffie growled as she and Krysta were forced to duck and hide from yet another patrol. Cloud was whimpering in pain now and both girls were getting worried. He was already so weak; they didn't want him going into shock. Really, this probably wasn't the best thing for them to be doing just then.

The Turks gone, both teens came out and started running again. So far neither had managed to find a way outside and was instead climbing up the tower. It was slow work and somewhat pointless until Yuffie remembered that they could be rescued from the roof. Still, they had so many floors they had to get through and couldn't just fight their way up. The battle on the ground was still raging. AVALANCHE had been furious when they'd been told that SOLDIER was holding Cloud prisoner. Okay, so Krysta left a couple details like the whole thing being Cloud's plan. The point was, the whole rebellion was fighting for their leader to be freed.

Turning a corner Krysta suddenly locked in place, her eyes widening in shock. She didn't even feel Yuffie run into her or Cloud's grunt of pain. All she could do was stare at the man before her.

"Reno."

Tensing, Cloud lifted his head and saw his friend standing in their way, his arms crossed. The Turk was glaring and, for the first time ever, wasn't smoking. For a minute both the Sh'Adi and Le'Tran were worried about the situation. Was he stopping them? Reporting them? Fighting them? But then the redhead broke into a grin and Cloud groaned, knowing that look only to well.

"Leaving without saying goodbye?" the Turk joked, not noticing the look of shock on Yuffie's face. Gaia, and the others accused her of being to chirpy in a battle situation.

"I was waiting for you," Cloud said while Krysta turned slightly to give the two friends a better view of each other. "But after a month I figured you weren't coming back and I couldn't stay any longer."

Reno's eyes blurred over with tears. He'd heard from Rude what had been happening to the blonde since he'd left. If he'd had any idea that would have happened he never would have left, Tseng be damned. It had only chaffed him further when he hadn't been able to come back sooner. In the end he had actually abandoned his mission to save his friend. Then he gets there only to find AVALANCHE had already taken care of that. He could nearly kiss Krysta for that. Not that he would of course. He liked living as much as the next person.

Suddenly the Turk jerked his head up to the roof. "My chopper's still there," he said shortly; they didn't have much time. "Get up there and I'll get you out." He laughed at the three open mouths. "Stop that, yo! No way in hell am I going to stay here after what happened to Cloud. Unless, of course, it was to kill all those bastards that raped him. Besides, that bastard Hojo is coming back and I don't want to be here when he shows up. Already sent my retirement papers to Tseng." Turning serious he looked Krysta in the eye, knowing Cloud wasn't in any condition to give orders. "If I was you I would pull AVALANCHE out now. The SOLDIER's will be returning soon, as will Sephiroth. If you pull out now everyone will be to busy on the ground to catch you three." Thinking about it for a moment, Krysta finally pulled out her PHS and pushed a button.

"Barret? Krysta. Pull everyone out now. We have Cloud and are making our way to the roof. We'll take a chopper from there. Barret! We don't have time for 20 questions; just do what I'm saying!"

"Move it, Barret!" Cloud suddenly roared, making Reno and Yuffie jump. He certainly didn't sound weak. Listening a moment more Krysta smiled before snapping her phone shut.

"Which way to the roof?" she asked Reno, confident in him. He'd never given her reason to doubt before.

"Straight up those stairs," the ex-Turk said, pointing to a nearby staircase. "Just keep going up. I'll catch up in just a sec. Need to get something." Nodding, Krysta made a break for the stairs, Yuffie following. The thought of Reno betraying them never crossed her mind. Cloud trusted him to much for her to doubt him.

Finally reaching the roof Krysta noted the chopper and raced over, first laying Cloud on one of the benches before helping Yuffie prepare the thing for flight. Just as she was getting nervous, she could hear SOLDIER shouts, Reno burst out the door. He was holding what looked like a little boy but there wasn't anytime for questions as a shot rang out. Ducking, Krysta saw another Turk on the far roof.

"Move your butt Vixen!" Krysta called, not even noticing the new nickname. Reno just shoved the small boy in her arms before jumping into the pilot seat and instantly lifting off the ground. Yelping, Yuffie instantly clung to Cloud's strapped in body. Seemed she was getting motion sickness again. Looking down at the child in her arms Krysta was shocked to see a rather surprised Rufus ShinRa looking back.

"Reno," she called, outraged. What was he doing, kidnapping the president's son? They didn't need this trouble. "Who the heck is this?" Not that she didn't know but she wanted the Turk to say it. Reno just turned slightly and smirked.

"Ian," he called back, making Krysta and Cloud freeze. Instantly, Cloud was struggling up, his eyes on the boy. He had to admit, the child did look a bit like him. Blonde, blue eyed, somewhat short and slight. Could it be? Rufus, Ian, also looked at Cloud and his tears welled up.

"Mom?" he whispered, a little afraid. Reno had told him about his mother. He'd always known about him. Of course, his father had been furious when Ian had asked him about his birth mother. Reno was the only one to tell him stories. The redhead had even sketched Cloud a couple times so the boy would know his mother. But now that he was here, facing the man, he was afraid he'd be rejected. After all, Cloud was the leader of AVALANCHE. He was ShinRa's son. How could he be wanted?

Just then Cloud's eyes went soft and he held out his arms. In seconds Ian was in them, sobbing into the man's chest. Krysta could only smile as her friend held his son close, crying himself. Finally, after eight long years, they were together again.

"Happy birthday, Cloud," she whispered, not forgetting it was her friend's birthday. One he would probably remember too. Knowing they'd need some time alone, she turned away to see Yuffie sitting in the co-pilot seat so she settled right behind her. Together the five of them flew off to the AVALANCHE base. Things were far from perfect just then but they all knew it would only get better from that point on.

XxXxXxXxX

_Babble time: Free at last! Free at last. Thank God almighty, Cloud's free at last. Lol, sorry, don't shout at me for that. Also, you all like Ian? I just thought that Cloud and Rufus looked enough alike to pull it off. Sort of sweet in a warped way, right? Uh…may be a couple chapters before Sephiroth shows up again. And no, your eyes do not deceive you, the first part of this chapter is the prologue of the story. Just tying it all together. On to the reviews!_

_CreotiaFlayier: Yes, BOB can haunt my cat. Gaia knows, she needs it. Sorry, no Seph, but he will go on a rampage when he finds out what happened to Cloud._

_Lady-yuna7: I agree completely. Yuck. Can't believe I had to do that. Lol, I agree. Where's Seph when you actually need him?_

_Sephirothpaine squallpaine: Yes he will and there will be hell to pay. (smiles darkly)_

_Kurosaki9: ROFLMAO! You really did that? OMG! I'm dieing of laughter over here. Glad I've never done something like that that causes my parents to come running in. Sorry, Cloud does get raped but he gets out so be happy now! And yeah, the baby is an energy vampire. Can I blame it on being Seph's child? Lol, talk to you later!_

_UltimateNinjaOfDoom: Well, now you don't have to wait._

_Dragi: Cool. I'm assuming Nuala is a girl? Correct me if I'm wrong. Uh…the rappers won't be headless. Sorry, that is just to light a punishment. Let me put it this way. They're never going to be able to have sex again. Can you say castrated?_

_Thanks for reading! TTFN!_


	17. Settling in

Rubbing his eyes, Cloud leaned back against his chair. He was tired and the baby was still acting like a leech in concerns to his energy but he didn't dare rest. It had only been a week since his return to AVALANCHE and he was still playing catch up. So much had happened in nearly a year. Had it really been a year that he'd been trapped in that tower? Well, eleven months but still. It all seemed rather surreal to him. So much had changed, himself not the least of them. What would his life be like now?

A sudden movement made Cloud smile gently as he turned. Rufus, no, Ian was sitting near the window, looking rather bored. The eight year old was a rather amusing enigma. He hated being indoors after so long trapped in the tower and loved nothing more then running in the nearby meadow or wading in the stream. However, he also refused to let Cloud out of his sight and was therefore often trapped in his mother's office. What surprised Cloud the most was that his son never complained. Even Reno was shocked at that; apparently 'Rufus' was infamous for his tantrums when things didn't go as he wanted.

Feeling rather cramped himself Cloud gathered a few papers before standing, catching Ian by surprise. "It is too nice a day to be inside," the elder said with a smile. "Besides, I'm feeling sort of caged after so long in that cell. Want to go outside with me?" He had to laugh as Ian nodded enthusiastically. If the boy wasn't careful his head would come unattached. So together mother and son left the building and settled outside. Well, Cloud settled. Ian, once he was sure his mother was fine, ran off and instantly started laughing and turning cartwheels. Happy, Cloud just watched his son for a few moments. After such a dismal childhood himself he was glad Ian had a better chance at life.

_Are you sure you two should be out?_

Smiling, Cloud turned back to the building. He could see Krysta watching him through a window, a slight frown on her face. Their bond had finally recovered fully but she was still careful in giving him his space. After all, he was still terribly fragile. And it didn't help that he was pregnant. It always threw people a little off when they had life other then their own in their body.

'We're fine Krysta. Like I haven't noticed that you keep this place guarded and shielded at all times. Besides, you're there, Reno is spying on his from that elm tree, and the rest of the circle is just a shout away.'

_Brat,_ his friend snorted but she was smiling. She had missed his snarky attitude.

Turning his mind back to his work, Cloud resumed reading. He wasn't really making plans just then nor giving orders. Rather he was trying to learn all that had happened in his eleven month imprisonment and where they stood. A daunting task in all reality.

Despite his best intentions the breeze and sunlight coaxed his mind to wander. Tiredly, he closed his eyes and reclined against a tree. So much had happened since he'd escaped. Not the least of which was getting AVALANCHE to accept Reno and Ian. Barret and Cid had been the most vocal in their objections but shut up when Cloud lost his temper and pulled First Tsugri on them. After a while it had been Krysta and Vincent who had gotten them all to back off. Krysta had made the case of Ian still being a child and innocent of his father's crimes. Vincent simply had to remind them all that he was an ex-Turk as well. Besides, it had been worth it to see Reno nearly faint when they told him that he was actually talking to Vincent Valentine. As it was the redhead had been unable to speak for days, instead reduced to looking like a fish.

"If you were going to dose off you should have left the papers behind." Giving Krysta a mock glare, Cloud pointedly ignored her. It was ultimately Ian who ran over and greeted her, followed instantly by, "Where's Denzel?" Denzel was one of the orphans AVALANCHE had managed to save. He was twelve and quiet and, for some reason, attached himself to Krysta. Oh, he liked the entire inner circle, but he loved Krysta. Because of that she had actually adopted him, after asking Cloud's permission of course. That had irked the blonde to no end; she was supposed to be living her own life now.

"Inside with Marlene," Krysta said with a smile, sitting herself beside Cloud. "They should both be out in a couple minutes." Ian groaned good naturedly before running off again. He wasn't as fond of Marlene, the orphan who had attached to Barret. She was very different from Denzel and always managed to make Ian uncomfortable. Still, she was fun and they hung out every now and then.

Watching the boy, both older teens smiled sadly. It was always sad to see Ian so enchanted with something as simple as being outside. All kids were supposed to love it but he treasured it. Made them wonder what sort of childhood he'd had. In some ways both were willing to bet it hadn't been much better then Cloud's.

"Just thought I should warn you," Krysta said suddenly. "The others are coming to give you a talking to and it's probably going to be about you being pregnant. After all, it's not like you're able to hide it anymore. So far we've gotten away with it by telling them your stomach shrunk and now that you're getting decent food it's just sort of bulging but that excuse won't last for long. They need to know. Of course, I've already told Barret and Cid that if they say anything to upset you I'm going to gut them but be ready. Wouldn't put it past either man to demand you have an abortion." Cloud stiffened, his eyes flashing in rage. "I know Cloud, that's why I said to be ready. You know none of us will force you to do anything. It's just…they won't take the news of the pregnancy or the father to well. Hell, I was there and I didn't take it well. If it wasn't for the fact that I know you fell in love with the man and the child I'd be hunting him down right now."

"And Zack has nothing to do with this?" Cloud asked slyly, enjoying it as Krysta blushed.

"Alright, he has a bit to do with it. But please Cloud, don't mention him. It's hard enough having to reconcile myself to fighting him sometime in the future."

Knowing what she meant, Cloud fell silent himself. It hadn't escaped his notice either that the day would come when he would fight Sephiroth. After all, they were the two leaders. Eventually they would have to cross blades. It wasn't something they could avoid if either wanted the war to end.

Just then his inner circle came out. Denzel and Marlene instantly ran after Ian while the adults made their way to Cloud. The blonde didn't fail to notice that they all bristled when Reno suddenly appeared and settled next to his friend. Still, Cloud couldn't help but smile a thanks to the redhead. He wasn't sure he wanted to deal with the interrogation he knew was coming. It'd be worth the harsh comments to have his friend beside him.

"Cloud, is he really going to be with us?" Barret yelled in indignation. He then gulped when both Cloud and Krysta growled at him.

"Yes Barret. He's my oldest friend and he was integral to my recent escape. So sit down, shut up, and deal with it," Cloud said harshly, only pulling his anger in when Krysta poked him. Luckily they all got the message and no more was said about the Turk. Instead they all settled in the grass around him. Or rather, all the adults did while Yuffie clambered up into the tree before hanging down. Hearing Krysta mutter, "Bloody monkey," under her breath Cloud felt himself smile. Why was it that she always managed to make him feel better?

"So who's starting this interrogation?" Cloud asked, bored already. His friends shifted nervously before Tifa leaned forward.

"Can you tell us anything that happened?" she asked gently. Cloud bristled anyway. They already knew the general state of things. There was no right for them to ask for more details! But Krysta's calming hand settled him once more.

"Sephiroth picked me for his new sex toys and I was raped. End of story," the blonde said shortly. The way they were looking at him he knew they didn't believe the ending. Well, it had been a lie after all. "Okay then, that isn't the end of the story. I'm also pregnant. Happy now?" Funny, all his friends did excellent fish imitation.

"You're what?" Barret roared, surging to his feet. Instantly Reno was shielding Cloud and Krysta was on her knees, ready to pounce. But what shocked everyone was that Ian was also standing between his Cloud and Barret.

"Leave ma alone!" the boy yelled, not scared in the least. For a couple tense seconds everyone stared before Krysta chuckled darkly and settled to the ground once more. With that the crisis was averted and both Barret and Reno sank back down. Ian looked at his friends wistfully before sitting beside his mother and snuggling into his side. Cloud opened his mouth to say something but then thought better of it and kept quiet. Instead he just lifted his arm and let the boy settle beneath that before relaxing against his tree again. Silence reigned for a few moments before Aerith stirred.

"May I examine the baby?" she asked carefully. Being a Cetra she could feel the jumble of emotions with in Cloud. The blonde was on a very short fuse just then and she knew better then to press. Besides, she also knew that to incur the wrath of Cloud was to incur the wrath of her sister. Krysta could be just as devious and downright evil as the generals of SOLDIER when she wanted to be. Aerith would not give the girl a chance to turn that hated gaze on her.

"I already have," Krysta said shortly, feeling Cloud's panic. The blonde was timid enough letting her in his mind. Aerith would have to go through his mind to check the baby and that was too much exposure for the blonde teen just then. "It is healthy and should be born in about four more months. Although, it would be a little helpful if you could confirm if there is in fact only one. That's all Cloud and I can sense but the physical side of things points to there being more."

"I will check, later," Aerith said, not missing the panic. Oh, she was going to kill the people who had done this to Cloud. He was to young and sweet a boy to go through this! Generals be damned; no one got away with hurting her friends.

Seeing the fire in Aerith's eyes Cloud shuddered. The Cetra was normally a very sweet and loving person but Shiva help you if you got on her bad side. If Sephiroth didn't kill those men for using him then she would for sure.

"On a not totally unrelated note," Tifa said dryly, pulling out a paper. She handed it to Cloud who read the headline. There was silence for a moment before the blonde suddenly burst out laughing. He was laughing so hard Krysta actually jumped away from him in shock. This…wasn't normal. She felt only pain, anger, sadness, and relief running through him. Normally those emotions did not produce laughter. She thought for a moment that it could be hysterics but what could have caused stoic Cloud to have them? Curious, she picked up the paper herself. The headline was all she needed to read.

**General of SOLDIER castrates ShinRa employee's for raping prisoner!**

Finally understanding, she returned the paper to Tifa before holding her Sh'Adi. It didn't take long for his laughs to morph into full blown sobs. Even with Ian hugging him Cloud couldn't seem to get himself under control. His emotions were just to wild for them to settle down.

'He avenged me.' he suddenly said through the bond. 'He cared enough to avenge me.'

_I told you he loved you Cloud. Of course he avenged you._

'After all the lying and spying I did, how could he?'

_Well…he doesn't actually know you lied and spied._ Cloud just sobbed harder. _I still say he cares Cloud. If it had been something as simple as 'using the General's toy' I'm sure they would have died. Call me crazy but I think he's letting them live so that you can get your own revenge._

'When did you get to know him so well?'

_What the hell do you think Zack and I talked about on our dates? What we did for a living was sort of taboo. So we talked about our bosses._

'Gee, thanks.'

_You're welcome._

Finally calming down, Cloud gently pulled away from Krysta. Taking deep breaths he managed to ground himself once more. His control was shaky at best, a fact his whole circle knew, but he tried to hold it together. Feeling a kick inside him he smiled. For the first time since his escape he was able to make peace with everything that had happened at the tower. Now all he had to do was give birth and win a war. And eventually tell Sephiroth that he was a father.

_You're on your own for that part._

'I repeat. Gee, thanks.'

_I repeat. You're welcome._

"Krysta, are you positive you don't have a sense of humor?"

"Yes Cloud. I'm sure."

XxXxXxXxX

_Babble time: Shark Week is really throwing my whole schedule off. Also, day after tomorrow, I get to go take a physical for the army. If that goes well then I will be officially a member of the United States Army Reserve. Scary thought that. Anyway, on to the reviews!_

_Anime-4EVER44: I'm glad Rufus was a surprise but I'm even happier he was a good choice. Wasn't really sure how a lot of people were going to react. No, he won't be having Kadaj and his brothers. Did that already._

_Lady-yuna7: (gags) Totally did not need that picture of President ShinRa and Cloud's mom. Anyway, no, Cloud is not a son of ShinRa. That would be incest and I'm staying clear of that._

_Dawn Chase: Lol, Cloud doesn't really like to be reminded of that, does he? Still, I thought it was sweet how Reno went back for Ian. Glad you agreed._

_Kurosaki9: O.O Man, you pack a lot of emotion into your reviews. The first two had me laughing for ten whole minutes and the start of this one made me gulp in fear. Cloud will give birth next chapter but Sephiroth won't find out about everything until the chapter after next. Lol, you are really sneaky with your computer time. Glad I don't have to do that._

_Melody123: I missed you! Lol, you certainly like a lot of stuff about my writing. It's interesting though; mpreg has always been very easy for me. And yes, Zack is a softie and just doesn't want anyone knowing it. Seph will be back the chapter after next. Promise._

_Dragi: Okay then! One girl named Nuala, coming up. Relax, Seph finds Cloud again. Rather, Cloud finds Seph but that's beside the point. The only hint I'm giving is this. ShinRa and Seph do NOT take it well once they realize who 'Chocoboy' is. Nope, not at all._

_UltimateNinjaOfDoom: Yeah! People like what I did! I was really worried about it._

_CreotiaFlayier: (groans) Seph is coming back people! Relax! Yes, they will meet on a battlefield and it will be totally tense. Nah, BOB is still cool. He's already started; my cat has gotten really jumpy recently._

_Oh yeah! Don't expect an update tomorrow! I need to stay at a hotel before my physical because it starts at 6:00 in the morning and they want all of us in the same place to get us to the MEPS building. I'll try and update again the day after tomorrow._

_Thanks for reading! TTFN!_


	18. A birthing surprise

Carefully, Cloud waddled down the stairs. His stomach was so distended he was constantly off balance. A fact Reno loved to tease him about. Which he would promptly be struck for but that didn't stop him. It just made him more selective of who he said it around. Although Ian had a tendency to hear him and then smack the ex-Turk in his mother's place.

Reaching the kitchen, Cloud poked his head in to see Krysta and Ian silently eating their breakfasts. Neither was a morning person and tended to growl if they were crowded to early. Cloud was the only one allowed to approach either one before ten o'clock. Even then he'd learned to act like he was going into a hostile area.

"Morning," he greeted but fell silent when Krysta glared at him. Knowing she'd been woken at an insanely early time he just nodded and sat down. After a few moments the tension was gone from the air once more as they each kept to their thoughts. It was ultimately Ian who broke the silence, putting his glass down and looking at his mother.

"Are you close?" he asked seriously. Neither of his companions needed to ask what he meant. It had been nearly nine months since the conception.

"Yes I am," Cloud said quietly, his eyes unfocused for a moment. Krysta watched him closely before turning away. He had made it clear that he didn't want her to comfort her whenever he got upset. More and more he'd been feeling like he wasn't really alive. The only proof he had was his emotions. Whenever she tried to suppress or change them he felt torn. So, though it made them both uncomfortable, she kept her mind to herself. Instead, she picked up the paper and started to read it, taking a sip from her glass. Only to spit it back out when she saw one of the many articles. Cloud stared at her in shock but she wouldn't meet his eyes. Finally he frowned and held out his hand. "Give it." Silently, she obeyed, tensing as she did. It was only a moment before Cloud's eyes found the article she had seen. His face paled as he read.

"What?" Ian finally said sharply, worried. He noticed that Krysta's hands were shaking as she gripped the table for support. Her eyes never left Cloud's face but she still answered.

"Hojo has an article in the paper. He's described Cloud and asked that anyone who knew where he was return him to the labs. Apparently he wants to check on some experiment."

"Ma can't go back!" Ian yelled, shocked. He had never actually met Hojo but he'd heard a lot about the man. He'd seen SOLDIER's and Turks who had gone to see the man. They'd always looked like death warmed over. When Reno had told him that he and Cloud had been in the labs the first thing the boy had asked was, 'Why aren't you dead?' Reno never had been able to give him an answer. His mother couldn't go back to that man!

Before they could say anything else Cloud suddenly winced. His hand went to his stomach as he grunted in pain. Krysta was on her feet instantly, feeling the ripples of pain in her own body. Her wide eyes stared at Cloud as the pain faded, leaving him panting. He managed to smile tightly at her though inside she could feel his fear. "Contraction," he rasped through his pants.

"False?" She couldn't keep the hope out of her voice in that one word. Still, it didn't surprise her when he shook his head.

"No way," he said wryly. "Hurt way too much. Help me to bed?" Nodding, Krysta hurried to his side, telling Ian to get Reno and Aerith. The boy obeyed instantly as she helped Cloud to his feet and led him to the stairs. The going was slow and he stumbled a few times but she managed to keep him upright. She wasn't ashamed to say that the only reason she kept from panicking was because he was holding onto his own panic so tightly. When he told her that the pain was normal she had to believe him. After all, he'd been through this before. He even managed to make a joke that at least this place was more sanitary then the lab cell he'd given birth in before. She'd chuckled at that but only because she knew it was expected.

Finally reaching Cloud's room, Krysta was about to get him in bed when he grunted in pain again. This time he faltered and Krysta suddenly felt like her feet were wet. Looking down she saw a large puddle of liquid on the floor and more running down the blonde's legs. She may not have been a midwife like her sister but even she knew what had happened.

"Not long now," Cloud gasped, trying to get his mind to catch up. This whole thing had caught him off guard and he wasn't ready. His memories of Ian's birthing were spotty at best. That tended to happen when you were eight and giving birth. He vaguely remembered Reno telling him to breath. Obviously, he'd need breath to survive, but was there a specific way to breathe? He also remembered something about pushing. When did he push? More important, why did he push?

Another contraction forced those thoughts from his mind. Was it just him or were they getting closer together. "That was sooner," Krysta grunted as she helped the blonde onto the bed. Well, that answered that question. He was just about to ask where Reno and Aerith were when a distant explosion met their ears. Krysta's whole body went tense but she made sure the blonde was settled before racing over and looking out the window. Instantly her face fell into a scowl with fear pulsing in the back of her eyes.

"Looks like a battle," she said tensely. Suddenly everything seemed to click in her mind. Reno and Aerith weren't going to be there; they'd be at the battle. Ian was Gaia knows where, looking for them. That left her there, alone, to help Cloud give birth and she knew nothing about birthing. Could this day get any worse? Actually, don't answer that.

"They're not coming, are they?" Cloud panted. His body may have been racked with pain but his mind was still clear. He knew what a battle meant and was already adapting to the change. Though he was loathe to go through the birth without Reno there wasn't anything he could do now.

Rather then answer Cloud's question Krysta's mind was already far ahead. She remembered bits and pieces of what her sister did for women when they gave birth. There were towels, probably for the baby and wiping sweat off. Hot water. What was that for? Scissors and thread for…something. Oh yeah! Cutting the umbilical cord. But what else would she need?

Hearing Cloud whimper Krysta jerked back to reality. Belatedly she remembered something about dilation. She could tell how close a woman was to pushing by how dilated the vagina was. Okay, Cloud was a guy so he wouldn't have a vagina but surely it was the same concept. To nervous to speak she sent the general thought to Cloud and saw him nod. Painfully, he brought his knees up and let her remove his pants. Though it was the most awkward thing for her to do, she looked at his anus and saw it was already a little larger. Blushing, she looked away, racking her mind once more for more information. How big would it need to be before he would need to start pushing?

"Quit worrying," Cloud finally said, his voice a little hoarse. Surprised, the girl looked into his laughing eyes. "I gave birth before knowing even less then I do now. It worked out in the end. Just…be there for me. Okay?" Feeling a little better, she nodded.

The hours dragged on. Cloud's pain increased with every contraction but he stayed quiet through the most of it. Krysta refused to make a sound, instead sending out comforting thoughts and holding the blonde's hand. The one thing she refused to think about was what Sephiroth would think about it all. She honestly believed that the man loved Cloud but she couldn't really see him as a father.

Finally, after all the pain and time, Cloud knew it was time. On his next contraction he started to push, hard. Krysta was already ready, standing in position to catch the baby as it slid out of her friend's body. In the tension of the moment neither had time to be embarrassed. All that mattered to either was getting the baby out and in one piece. Though it felt like he was being torn apart Cloud finally gave one last hard push and felt something fall away from him. For a moment he was tense in fear when he heard a smack followed by a wail. Just as it had with Ian, a smile was instantly on his face and he went to collapse when he froze. He was already being hit with another contraction. That should be over. Sure, he had to get rid of the afterbirth but that wasn't as painful as the birth. So what the hell was…?

Everything clicked in his mind. Gaia above, he really did have more then one child. That panicked thought pierced Krysta's mind and she hurried to bundle the first baby up, having already cut the umbilical cord, and moving the catch the next. Another set of contractions, another set of panting and grunting, another moment for pure silence. Another smack, another cry, another smile.

Another contraction.

This time around, as Cloud tried to push this third baby from his body, the panting was replaced by cursing. Sephiroth had better hope he never saw Cloud again because the blonde was going to kill him. How dare the bastard not only get him pregnant but with triplets? At least, Cloud hoped it was only triplets. That was the most they'd ever sensed so it was likely that was all. Of course, it had been 'likely' that he only had one child. That obviously wasn't to be.

Finally hearing the final baby cry Cloud fell back onto the bed, exhausted and yet happy. This wasn't anything like Ian's birth. Then he'd been terrified and had only Reno, a dear friend but nothing more. This time he'd been somewhat prepared and had had Krysta, his Le'Tran. He knew there was no way he could have gone through it all without her comforting presence in his mind. Now he was able to watch her as she clumsily went around, trying to care for all three babies at the same time. They were all quiet now, maybe they were tired. Gaia knew he was. Birthing had to be as hard on the baby as it was on the mother. So, with those final thoughts, he drifted off to sleep.

-}-

"I can't believe I missed it!" Reno grouched as he held one of the babies. It was nighttime once more and he, Krysta, Aerith, Ian, Cloud, and the babies were all in Cloud's room. The battle had been difficult but the Turk had nearly screamed when he'd heard that Cloud had given birth while he was fighting. Really, it had been a miracle that Ian hadn't been killed looking for him and Aerith. Still, as soon as the Turk had gotten the news he'd raced back to be sure Cloud was alright. It was only now, a couple hours after, that he was starting to calm down. He could still vividly remember how hard Ian's birth had been. This time the blonde seemed to have fared better.

Seeing how tired Cloud was Krysta signed for the other three to leave. Without complaint the adults obeyed, Reno guiding a reluctant Ian out. Cloud knew what was happening but couldn't find the strength to protest. He really was tired. It was with half closed eyes that he watched Krysta move around, making sure all the babies were tucked in. Only when she was done did she step back and stare at the three of them. They were all so cute and perfect. She knew it would be hard on Cloud, raising three kids on his own, but she also knew it would work out. Everything would be fine. It had to be. Suddenly, without thinking, she started singing a song. She'd made it up years before, when she and Cloud had first joined AVALANCHE. It was just a strange little song that showed how confusing their life had gotten by comparing it to a circus. Now, all these years and experiences later, it still fit them both.

_Isn't it rich_

_Are we a pair_

_Me here at last on the ground_

_You in mid-air_

_Send in the clowns_

_Isn't it bliss_

_Don't you approve_

_One who keeps tearing around_

_One who can't move_

_Where are the clowns_

_Send in the clowns_

_Just when I'd stopped opening doors_

_Finally knowing the one that I wanted was yours_

_Making my entrance again with my usual flair_

_Sure of my lines_

_No one is there_

_Isn't it rich_

_Isn't it queer_

_Losing my timing this late_

_In my career_

_But where are the clowns_

_There ought to be clowns_

_Well, maybe next year_

"Maybe next year," Cloud agreed with a tired smile. Krysta just kissed him on the forehead and whispered, "Goodnight." Watching her Sh'Adi fade into sleep the girl smiled before settling in a chair. No way was she going to leave them alone yet. It was her job to protect them all now. She'd even protect Sephiroth if he ever became part of the family.

Well…maybe.

XxXxXxXxX

_Babble time: I am so sorry! It's been two days since my last update and this one sucks! Let me explain though. The day before yesterday I had to go to a hotel for some reason before my army physical. I think they just wanted everyone in one place before the whole things. Anyway, so I ended up spending over half my day there doing nothing except working out in the gym. Then I got woken at 3:30 in the freaking morning. Got to MEPS by 5:00 in the morning and then didn't get done and out until 1:15! So by the time I got home I was dead to the world. (The only good news being that I passed the physical! Now I just need a little more paperwork and I'm in!) And now I'm leaving for Arizona on Saturday so it will be another week until I upload again after tomorrow. I'm so sorry! Let's get to the reviews, okay?_

_CreotiaFlayier: Relax! I'm not upset at you at all. I'm so glad that this story caught your attention. I'm even gladder that it held it. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside._

_Dawn Chase: Lol, you have the most interesting relationship with Cloud. Still, you'd think that by now you'd know not to say those sort of things when the blonde's around._

_UltimateNinjaOfDoom: Yeah, I thought it was suiting punishment for raping Cloud. Seph wanted to behead them but I talked him out of it._

_Kurosaki9: Pregnant people are just plain scary. I mean, I'm a girl and I keep my distance from them. One moment they're cooing and shoving cookies down your throat and the next their bawling cause you died from to much sugar. (shudders) creepy. I'll describe and name the babies next chapter. Wow, you're reading rather early. See you soon!_

_Tobi-Uchiha: Lol, your review made me smile. I'm so glad you like it. I know I touch on sensitive stuff like rape and all that but I really try and make it good. The worse the story is in the beginning the better I make the ending. So this one better have a damn good one, right? Lol._

_Dragi: Yep, probably the most popular article in the paper. Sorry, Cloud doesn't meet Seph while pregnant. But he will meet him soon. Talk to you whenever you can manage! (P.S You're the 100__th__ reviewer! Congrats!)_

_Thanks for reading! TTFN!_


	19. Final Battle

Yawning, Cloud stretched lazily before opening his eyes. The window was still dark, proving it was before sunrise. Still, his glowing blue eyes could see everything clearly. Normally his eyes would roam his room, looking for any disturbance. Upon finding none he'd rise and ready himself for the day. However, the past two weeks, things had changed. The first thing his eyes went to were the three cribs along his wall. It wasn't until he saw each small bundle rise and fall that he'd rise. With sleep drugged steps he'd stumble over to lean over them and watch his children. Then, finally, he'd smile at the sight.

They were all so perfect. Reno said they were smaller then Ian had been but Aerith had assured him that was because they were triplets. It didn't really matter because now, after two weeks, they were already noticeably growing bigger. True, it was a hassle and a half caring for all three but Krysta, Reno, and Ian were helping immensely. Ian most of all. He was utterly ecstatic to be a big brother. Apparently that had been his dearest wish back at the tower. Now, having a brother and two sisters to love, the older boy was in heaven.

Chuckling, Cloud reached out and brushed a strand away from his new son's face. His name was Sachiel. It meant 'Water Angel'. He really did look like an angel. His face was already rather sculpted, despite the baby fat. When his eyes were open they were a rather shocking electric blue that glowed with the mako he obviously inherited from his parents. Most of all, his wispy blonde hair instantly brought to mind a divine being. It was so light, in both color and feel, that it swayed around his head. None of them were sure yet but he seemed to be taking after his mother in stature. His body was rather feminine but still had lines of strengths most women did not have.

Turning to the next crib Cloud smiled at his younger daughter. Somehow during the night she'd managed to roll over on her stomach, like she always did. Made him wonder why they insisted he lay her down on her back. Her name was Kitrin, which meant 'Peaceful Kitten'. Ian had named her that after seeing that her eyes were slit pupil like a cat's. Other then that, she didn't really resemble a kitten. More like a puppy really. Still, she managed to tug on Cloud's heart strings. Maybe it was her forest green eyes. Or maybe her straight golden hair. More then likely it was her natural pout. It would be damn near impossible not to spoil her. Already she was getting all the adults to bow to her every whim. Even Sachiel seemed submissive to her. Only one person was impervious to his youngest daughter's charms.

And that was her older sister. Turning, Cloud was a little startled to see two glowing eyes staring at him. Those eyes reminded him of the deep sea color, not blue or green but both and yet neither. A color that defied all attempts at naming or duplication. The only way to find it was in nature.

Picking up his older daughter, Cloud looked at her closely. Her silver hair was identical to her father but was already spiking like his own. Also her body was taking after Sephiroth's, long and thing. She was quieter and didn't make as many useless motions or noises. At first it had seemed a little disconcerting but over time Cloud had come to rely on it. Even when Sachiel and Kitrin were screaming like they were burning in hell this child would just watch quietly. Her eyes held the look of an ancient spirit; someone who had walked the planet far longer then anyone could remember. That's why he had named her Aubry. 'Elf Power'. An ancient soul, an ancient power, an ancient name.

Placing Aubry back in her crib, Cloud was about to get their bottles when Krysta's panic hit him. Instantly he was in her mind and saw what she did. Reports were pouring in from everywhere; SOLDIER was attacking in mass. Right then.

Hesitating for only a second, Cloud turned and raced from his room. Completely bypassing the stairs he leapt over the balcony and landed hard on the bottom floor. Not pausing his movements, he called for Reno and Aerith, knowing the rest of the circle was already at the front. With long practiced moves he pulled on his outfit, pulling the mask and hood up so that no one could see any descriptive trait. In this armor he was Strife. Not Cloud. Certainly not Chocoboy. Just Strife. Calling out for Ian to grab his siblings and hide, Strife flashed out of the house. He felt Reno and Aerith on his heels and focused on getting to the battle. Deep within him he could tell. This was the Final Battle.

-{-

Watching another man fall, Cloud couldn't help but notice the pain in his chest. After all these years of teaching himself to not be bothered by death he was falling back on old habits. Just how much had the stay at the tower changed him? Some things were only now appearing. Small things like his sudden aversion to the color white. His new appreciation of flowers. And thusly his equally strong obsession about their meanings. All little things but they were all managing to change who he was inside.

A bullet grazed his arm, snapping Strife out of his thoughts. In the middle of a battlefield was not the place to have deep, thought provoking musings. At least, not if he wanted to live past the battle. And considering he had four children at home, waiting for him, he really did want to survive. So, with renewed focus, he threw himself back into the fight. Bodies fell before him, cut down by Tsugri's sharp edge. On occasion he'd see a face he remembered from the tower. None were his rapists but other people he'd simply seen around. At one point the saw Kunsel but the SOLDIER was far enough away that they were able to avoid each other. In fact, Cloud was just starting to relax when a sudden flash of familiar yellow attacked him. He leapt away nimbly, turning to face his new opponent as his stomach fell.

It was Zack.

The raven was looking a bit worse for the wear. His eyes were dull and a bit unfocused. Not that that hindered his fighting any. The blood that covered his uniform and blade were proof of that. Still, the older man managed a shadow of his normal teasing smile.

"Hello there!" he said, slinging his Buster sword over his shoulder. "Lovely day for a battle, isn't it? After all, someone has to stop you cretins from monopolalizing the world's supply of eggnog." Unable to stop himself, Cloud snorted a laugh. He'd forgotten about that. Every time he faced this kooky SOLDIER he was accused of trying to control eggnog.

"You got it all wrong," Cloud said, his mind frozen in horror. He was not about to tease back, was he? "We're trying to control the world's supply of cookies. Not eggnog." Good Gaia, he was.

Zack stared at Strife for a moment before smiling for real. "Didn't think you had a sense of humor," the raven drawled, settling into a defensive stance. For the first time since Krys had left he felt alive. The challenge of an equal fight combined with the friendly banter made his heart thaw a little. Maybe things were starting to look up.

"Zachery."

Or then again…

Cloud froze at the voice. Not out of fear, like all his men, but out of nervousness. That feeling only grew as Sephiroth stepped out of the general mass of the battle. He looked as cool and composed as ever. There was no blood on his armor nor on his blade. His eyes were a little colder then the blonde remembered but other then that he was the same old General he's been before Cloud.

The thought made the blonde mad. No, it made him pissed. If the man had truly loved him then why had he reverted so quickly once Cloud was gone? Wouldn't it have made more sense to try and maintain some of what Cloud had ended up teaching him? So wrapped up in his thoughts was Strife that he didn't notice Zack's worried look at his General.

Unlike Cloud, the raven saw how hard the General was trying to maintain this façade. His hands shook slightly and his voice was a little to clipped. The burning in his eyes didn't just come from the mako. No, he was sick. No one was really sure how since SOLDIER's weren't supposed to get sick, but he was. It had all started when Chocoboy had been taken from them. As much as Zack hated what had happened to the boy he dearly wished AVALANCHE hadn't rescued him. The little blonde had been changing Sephiroth for the better but without him the General didn't know what to do with his new self.

"This is my fight," was all Sephiroth said, his sharp eyes on Strife. Understanding broke over Zack slowly. His friend wanted to kill this man for taking away his lover. That made sense. Zack wanted to kill him for taking Krys away and they were just dating. There was no way he could deny the man his revenge.

Unfortunately, Cloud understood too. Instantly he was calling for Krysta, looking for a way out. He couldn't fight the General! Well, okay, that was wrong. He _could_ if he wanted to. He was strong enough and smart enough. The problem was, he didn't want to. He still loved the older man and knew that any battle started now would not end until one of them was dead. Instead he would have to stall.

Seeing the only sign of movement, Cloud leapt back, only narrowing avoiding Masamune's sharp edge. Seemed stalling wasn't going to work. Reluctantly, he threw himself into the battle. Zack stayed nearby, keeping anyone from interfering or aiding. This was something the two leaders needed to settle between themselves. It wasn't until Krysta suddenly appeared, clad in her normal ninja gear and hood, that he started taking things seriously. He hardly noticed when she flinched away from him before attacking her. Let their leader's duke it out. The SiC's would have their own battle.

The fighting dragged on. With every strike, every block, every dodge, the combatant grew wearier. Even Sephiroth started showing signs of fatigue. Zack had progressed to the stumbling stage. If he'd been fighting anyone other then Krysta he would have died long before. As it was, not only was she simply trying to reach Cloud, she had no interest in killing him. Like Cloud, she loved her SOLDIER to much to kill him or even truly fight him.

A sudden roar caught the attention of them all. Freezing in mid-attack, they all turned to find the source of the noise. Their eyes barely had time to comprehend what they saw then they were struck by a wall of wind. Lesser SOLDIER's and AVALANCHE fighters flew by but the four in the middle managed to stand their ground. In seconds the wind passed, leaving a virtually empty battlefield. Blinking rapidly, Zack tried to clear his eyes as he looked up, searching for his opponent. What he saw made his jaw drop as well as his blade.

"Chocoboy…"

Hearing his SiC's broken whisper, Sephiroth's eyes flew up, instantly clear. He focused just in time to see Strife, his enemy, lower his arm to reveal those blue eyes and spiky blonde hair he knew only to well. It felt like every part of his body froze. All he could do was stare as the man he had hated and tried to kill only moments before was revealed to be the man he had loved and mourned for months.

Seeing movement to the side both SOLDIER's looked over to see Krysta, sans her own hood. Her white hair fell into her black eyes as she huffed in frustration. That wind really hadn't been needed.

"Guess the gig is up," Cloud tried to joke. Krysta just sent him a withering glare. The blonde opened his mouth to retaliate when a horn sounded. Instantly, both AVALANCHE members tensed and spun around. It only took them a second to figure out.

"Catch," Cloud called, throwing something to Sephiroth. The General caught it without thinking. As soon as he did Cloud and Krysta spun on their heels and raced off, as fast as any SOLDIER. Seeing his lover leaving again, Sephiroth did the unthinkable. He stepped forward and _screamed_, "Cloud!" Cloud faltered for a second, turning to look back, before squaring his shoulders and kept running. He wanted nothing more then to return to those strong, warm arms, but he couldn't leave his children. So, with blue eyes blinded by tears, he chased after his fleeing army. Now that everyone else had been evacuated his small defense force just had to catch up.

Silently, Krysta followed, trying not to crumple at the pained screams of her blonde's heart. It was hard, considering her own heart was screaming as well.

XxXxXxXxX

_Babble time: Yes, I left it as a cliffy. Yes, I will not be writing again until probably Tuesday after this coming one. Yes, you have permission to get pissed off at me. On to the reviews!_

_CreotiaFlayier: I'm so glad you liked it!_

_UltimateNinjaOfDoom: OMG! I've said time and time again his babies are not Kadaj and his brothers. That story is called Mother and I just finished it. I'm not going to do another one so soon._

_Dawn Chase: The only reason he didn't hit you was because you were hiding._

_Dragi: So sorry I didn't use your name like promised! A friend of mind reminded me that I already had the names all picked out and prewritten. I swear, I'll use your name in my next story. Okay?_

_Tobi-Uchiha: Lol, yeah, the birthing had to hurt. And thanks on the physical thing. I'm so happy!_

_Kurosaki9: Hey, we all knew Sephiroth was superior. That won't stop Cloud from cussing him out about the kids. Relax. Hojo never gets his hands on Cloud and he will die. Promise._

_Thanks for reading! TTFN!_


	20. Gaa Da

Blinking, Cloud realized he was staring out his window once more. He'd been doing that a lot since the battle. No matter what he was doing his mind would drift back to that moment Sephiroth had seen him. The shock, love, and panic so clear on his face. Most of all, he thought about that broken cry of his name. He'd wanted to go back so bad. Every instinct he had demanded that turn around and run back into those arms. It was his heart alone that forced him to keep running to his children.

"Stop it."

Turning, Cloud blinked at Krysta. She was sprawled across his couch, her face covered by some papers. To most eyes she looked perfectly relaxed. It took a well trained eye to see the tension and pain running through her. The papers never moved as she kept talking.

"We get it. You miss the General. In case you've forgotten, there's still an army for you to run and a war to fight. Get over it."

If anyone else had said that Cloud would have killed them without a second glance. How was he supposed to get over fighting his lover? But this was Krysta. Not only was she his Le'Tran, she was also going through the same thing. She'd fought Zack for him. Her pain was equal to his. And yet she managed to keep a semblance of normal life. At the very least she wasn't falling apart like he was.

Sighing, Cloud moved back to his desk and sat down. There wasn't much work for him to do really. SOLIDER was still searching for them but since they were laying low there were no traces. Sadly, that also meant that Cloud had little to do. Nothing that required he do more then skim the report, sign it, and set it aside to be filed. Certainly nothing that could hold his attention. No wonder he spent more time at the window, looking out. In fact, not ten minutes later, he was there again. His lack of activity roused Krysta once more from her meditation and she sighed. Gaia, she never thought the day would come when she would see a lovesick Cloud. Pulling the paper off her face, she stood quickly; her sudden movements caught Cloud's eyes and he turned to see her scowl.

"Get out," she said, taking the seat at his desk. The blonde hesitated for a moment before obeying. Instantly his feet took him down the stairs and out of the house. He paused for a moment, looking around at the tent city they'd managed to get set up. The only building in the area had been converted so that the top floor was his office and the bottom was a conference room. His personal tent was nearby and he made his way over to it. With a grateful sigh he ducked inside and looked around. His bed was closest but it was the large crib on the other side that he went to. Quiet coos and chuckles made him smile. His favorite past time was watching his children play. So it was with a lighter heart that he leaned against the bars and saw Sachiel and Kitrin watching the mobile Cid had made them. Aubry wasn't joining them though. Her eyes were locked on Cloud instead. Like always she seemed so serious but it wasn't as bad as normal.

Picking the silver haired baby up Cloud carried her out the back of the tent. He'd made sure his tent was nearly on the bank of a river, ensuring the water sound was a constant. It helped keep the babies calm since he was gone for so long every day. Still, Aubry was the only one who seemed to truly love the water. Her favorite activity was for Cloud to sit on the bank and let her watch the river flow by. Sometimes Cloud would let her splash in the puddles, one of the few activities that would make her giggle.

Sitting on the bank the blonde let his baby settled against him before both closed their eyes. The breeze was gentle and the sounds of the trees and the river drowned out the sounds from the camp. It was almost like they were in their own little bubble. There was nothing but peace and contentment around them. Oh, Cloud knew that sooner or later they'd be dragged back into the world. Some report would come in, some battle would start, Yuffie would find them, any number of things. But right then it was just him and his daughter. He'd take what he could.

Unfortunately, as they always did, his thoughts drifted to Sephiroth once more. Shiva curse it, what did it take to get that man out of his head? What would his men say if they knew their leader was pining over the General?

Frustrated, Cloud opened his eyes and looked down, seeing that Aubry was staring up at him. His lips twitched up in a smile and she relaxed. Sometimes it just seemed that she was worried about him. As long as he showed her he was fine she was content.

Bored, Cloud reached over and picked a nearby flower. Twirling it between his fingers he noticed Aubry watching it. When he offered her the stem she took it quickly, making him chuckle. "That's primrose," he told her as she stared at it. "It means hope. Like it?" She cooed, making him laugh. Apparently she did.

Thinking of something, the blonde let his mind wander a bit before focusing on the life before him. Her fire was burning brightly and it took a minute for him to separate the color. It was white, pure and simple. Cloud was actually impressed. It was super rare to find a white person.

"Whatcha doing?"

Smiling, Cloud turned to Reno. The redhead flopped down beside him, ignoring the mud they were sitting on. The blonde waited for Reno to greet Aubry before shrugging.

"Checking Aubry's fire. Figured it would help me in raising her."

"Fire?" Reno repeated, utterly confused. Cloud just nodded and shifted his daughter.

"Fire. It's something Krysta and I learned from our old master. He was this really ancient Wutain man. Elfe decided that he would be a good teacher for us so when I took command of AVLANCHE we sort of inherited him. Some of the stuff he taught didn't make sense but I must admit that everything is useful. One thing he taught us was how to let our minds outside our bodies. This way we can see and sense all around us."

"That's why it's so bloody hard to catch you unaware!" Reno cut in excitedly. He'd bashed his head against the wall more then once because Strife always seemed one step ahead.

"Yes," Cloud admitted with a smile. Aubry squirmed slightly so he let her down and watched her play with a puddle. "You can do a lot when your mind is outside your body. Krysta's even learned how to insert her mind into someone else's. Of course, those with high sensitivity like Tseng or Sephiroth will catch that. But against most it works pretty well. The most important thing you can do outside your body though is see a person's fire. You would call it a person's spirit. Every person's personality is reflected in their spirit. Therefore by seeing the colored fire of a person you can tell their personality and thus how to deal with it."

"How do you know?" Reno asked one sharp eye on Aubry. It always made him nervous when Cloud let her crawl around the river. Wonder baby she might be but she was still a baby.

"Easy. You memorize what each color stands for and that will give you a general idea." Cloud was also watching his daughter. She was getting a bit close.

"Color?" Reno finally looked back at the blonde.

"Color. There are nine colors. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, gray, brown, black, and white. Let's see; how do I explain? Let's try this. Red means warmth, love, anger, danger, speed, strength, determination. Things like that. So if someone were to have red fire they would have a personality that generally matched those sorts of things."

"That sounds like you Spiky."

"Very good. You're right; I'm red. Krysta is black which means formality, power, strength, elegance, and sophistication. However, black also means illegality, depression, and morbidity. So you see, people aren't always everything their color shows."

Reno sat there for a moment, taking it in, before nodding sagely. "I think I get it now. That's a pretty powerful tool there brat. So can you tell me what some of the other colors mean and the colors of other people?"

"Yellow is attention-grabbing, comfort, liveliness, overwhelm, energy, intellect, and happiness. Zack and Yuffie are both yellow. Blue is peace, professionalism, loyalty, honor, coldness, depth, stability, and reliability. Tseng is blue and I believe Angeal is as well. Brown is relaxing, confident, casual, solid, reliable, and endurance. You're a brown. Gray is traditionalism, serious, dull, uninteresting, and conservatism. Most people are gray because their souls are so basic. White is purity, newness, peace, innocence, and simplicity. Aubry here is a white. Those are very rare. I've never met a white before and master had only met four in his life."

"That is so cool Cloud!" Reno gushed, his eyes glowing in excitement. "Could your master train me?" He instantly knew he'd said something wrong because Cloud's face fell.

"No," the blonde said, staring out at the river. "Master…died. About three years ago. Krysta and I were his last students. Actually, I think we're the only students of his that are still alive. At least, I've never met any others. For now neither Krysta nor I have the time to teach anyone else so it will have to wait."

The two friends sat in silence for a while before Aubry crawled back to her mother. Without aid she managed to crawl into his lap and almost instantly fell asleep. Cloud simply smiled as he brushed her hair gently. It was only when she slept that she allowed such actions. She was oddly rather anti-touch for a baby. Oh, she didn't mind cuddling with Cloud and loved it when he held her. But other then that she wouldn't let him touch her. That didn't even include the fact that she wouldn't let anyone else cuddle her. Well, alright, she let Reno cuddle her a little bit. She seemed to be fascinated by his hair but who wouldn't be?

The peaceful scene was broken by Cloud's PHS going off. It was loud enough to startle the blonde so when he grabbed it he was already upset. "What?" he snapped when he held it against his ear. There was silence for a moment before a very familiar voice replied.

"_Cloud?"_ Cloud gulped in sudden panic. Damn it, he wasn't supposed to call this soon! Oh, why did he have to go and give the guy his number?

"Sephiroth. I…wasn't expecting you to call so soon."

"_I thought so. But I finally managed to secure some time so I thought it would be best to call now."_

"That makes sense." Cloud winced at his words. Curse it; why was he so tongue tied all of a sudden? Sure, this was the first time the two had talked since the tower but come on! He wasn't _that_ lovesick…was he?

"_So do you want to explain things now?"_

"About why I was there? No…not really. About why I left? Yeah. I thought you had a right to know. But I should warn you, it's a long story."

"_I have a long time Cloud."_ Taking a deep breath, Cloud nodded even though he knew Sephiroth couldn't see.

"Alright then. I'll try to keep this as short as possible. I was kidnapped by Hojo when I was three. After that I basically grew up in the labs. He did a lot of experiments that I don't know but one I remember quite clearly. I can't remember the technical terms but in a nutshell he gave me a womb and the ability to bear children. Right after that President ShinRa raped me and I got pregnant with Ian. Ah, sorry, Rufus. I named him Ian but obviously he didn't keep that name. Anyway, Rufus was taken from me at birth which was when I was eight, nearly nine. Then, at the age of ten I escaped the labs with Reno. He'd been my friend through the whole thing so I couldn't leave him. Once outside the lab I found Krysta and joined AVALANCHE." Taking a deep breath, Cloud waited but heard only a quiet hum from the phone.

"Roughly six months after I was captured I found out that I was pregnant. Obviously the child was yours but just knowing I was pregnant I sort of…snapped. That's the day I tried to commit suicide." Funny, Cloud could almost feel Sephiroth stiffen at the memory. "I'll never know how you missed it considering I got my baby bump so early but you did. I knew I couldn't do the whole pregnancy in the cell but I was holding out for you. It was never my intention to leave without telling you. But then you left and those men started raping me and I just couldn't stay. Krysta and the rest of AVALANCHE got me out with Reno's help and Reno also got Rufus back for me. But that's beside the point. The only thing that matters is that I left to protect my child. If it hadn't been for that I would have stayed. Honest."

"_So…you didn't want to leave me?"_ Cloud nearly cried at the hope in Sephiroth's voice.

"Of course not. I never wanted to leave you. Gaia above, I put up with that month of rape just to see you again. Gaia alone knows why but…I love you. Some how during the whole bloody thing I fell in love with you." Silence reigned for a moment before Cloud felt Sephiroth smile.

"_I love you too Cloud."_

Cloud felt like shouting with joy. He loved him! Sephiroth really loved him! Sure, Krysta had kept saying he did but this was Sephiroth himself saying the words. He really loved him.

"_I'm assuming you've given birth by now."_

"Yeah, a while back. Oh crap, I forgot to tell you! I had triplets."

"_Triplets? As in three?"_

"Of course. What else do triplets mean? There's one boy and two girls. They're so perfect Sephiroth!" He could hear Sephiroth chuckle at the excitement in his voice. So he was a proud mother. So what?

"_Tell me about them?"_

That was all the incentive Cloud needed to launch into a detailed description of each baby. Reno just watched his friend fondly. He was happy that Sephiroth seemed to genuinely care. As much as he would deny it Cloud really did need the older man's support.

"I can't wait for you to see them," Cloud finally said only to have his face fall. "But…that's going to be impossible, isn't it. With the war going on and all. It's not like either of us can just drop by and visit the other." There was silence for a moment before he heard Sephiroth shift.

"_Cloud, attack the tower in exactly three weeks."_

"What? Sephiroth, what do you mean?"

"_Exactly what I said. Attack the tower in three weeks. Do that and the war will end. You'll have to trust me on this."_

Cloud still hesitated. He loved Sephiroth with all his heart but they were still leading opposite sides of a war. That wasn't exactly a good base for trusting each other. If he attacked the tower in three weeks on Sephiroth's orders, sure the war would end. Because his army would be wiped out. So he opened his mouth with the intent to refuse when he felt a little tug on his arm. Confused, he looked down to be met with the eyes of his daughter. She didn't make a noise and didn't move but rather just stared at him. For a moment Cloud hesitated before nodding. His attention went back to his phone. "Sephiroth? Hold on for just a second and then say hello when I tell you to, alright?" Without waiting for a response he held the phone to Aubry's ear. "Alright. Say hello."

"_Hello,"_ he heard faintly. Instantly Aubry's eyes lit up and she reached for the phone.

"Gaa," she said back. Her mouth split into a smile and Cloud's followed. "Gaa, gaa," she repeated. Her face screwed up a little in frustration like that wasn't what she was trying to say. Laughing, Cloud just ruffled her hair before bringing the phone back up to his ear. "Did you hear that?" he asked only to be met with silence. For a second he was afraid Sephiroth had hung up.

"_Was that really…?"_

Laughing, Cloud couldn't help but nod. "That was Aubry. She wanted to say hello." Aubry was reaching for the phone again, her expression determined. "Ah, hold on. I think she wants to say something else. Wait just a sec." He gave the phone back and watched Aubry take a deep breath before smiling.

"Da!" she said loudly. Instantly her face lit up with pride that matched Cloud's. Seemed she managed to get the word that she was thinking out.

"Did you hear that?" Cloud gushed, bringing the phone to his ear yet again. "That was her first word! She just said her first word!"

"_Her first word was Da? Are you serious?"_

"Yep. Da was her first word and she said it to you. She must love you already. Funny considering she's never met you." Looking into his daughter's eyes Cloud finally nodded his head. "Sephiroth. We'll be there. We'll attack the tower in three weeks. Please, don't fail me."

"_I won't Cloud. I promise."_

"I'll see you then, I guess." Cloud was reluctant to hang up but knew he had to. It was too risky for either man to keep talking. "Bye."

"_Bye."_ A click and then nothing but the dial tone. Flipping his own phone shut Cloud took a deep breath. His eyes met Reno's for a second and he nodded. He wasn't entirely sure about what he was doing but he'd see it through. He had to see it through.

XxXxXxXxX

_Babble time: Mesa back! Did ya miss me? (sigh) It's so good to be home. I really missed it. It sucks, living in the mountains then going to the high deserts for a week. Still, we got a lot of work done and saw some amazing sights. So it's all good. Now I just need to get back into writing. :P Easier said then done. On to the reviews! And there's a lot. That's what I get for leaving for a week._

_CreotiaFlayier: Lol, I didn't mean to be a heartbreaker. Honestly. Still, it did work out that way, didn't it? I'm glad you like the names. I was going crazy trying to find good ones. Those three just seemed so cute and perfect. I'm sorry I irritated BOB but I think he followed me. Every single freaking night I'd wake up at exactly two in the morning to a cat's meow. The problem? There weren't any cats there._

_Lady-yuna7: Hey! Don't shake your fist at me! I warned you all I was leaving. So I left it a cliffhanger; so what? Still, glad you liked the babies. They were fun to write and dream up._

_Kurosaki9: Cloud will kill Hojo. Yeah, the wind was strong enough to blow the hood and mask off Cloud. Damn wind. You know…when I wrote that Cloud threw something to Sephiroth I knew exactly what it was. Now…a little over a week later…I have no clue. I'll just say it was something with his PHS number so Seph will call him._

_Kichi Hisaki: Yeah…the eight year old giving birth thing sort of irked me as well. Still, I wanted Cloud to be Rufus's mother and Cloud's already so young I didn't know what else to do. I'm glad you thought it was the cool sweet. If it had been the adorable sweet I probably would have taken it down and deleted that chapter. I hate those types of stories._

_Dragi: I have no idea what Cloud gave Sephiroth. I did when I wrote the last chapter but that was a week ago. I like Aubry too. She's so cute and fun. Umm…you know, Seph just may get Cloud pregnant again. Just not for a while._

_Dawn chase: Thank you Cloud._

_Vampirelove00: I'm so glad someone's not pissed at me! And thank you so much for reading this._

_4LLi3: Umm…thanks? Lol, glad to know you're excited._

_Darkwhizper: I'm glad you like it so much. It's so much fun to write!_

_Alright everyone. Next chapter two important things happen. First off, the war ends. Second off, Cloud kills Hojo. I repeat. Cloud. Kills. Hojo. You all want that, right?_

_Thanks for reading! TTFN!_


	21. The war ends

Grimly, Cloud stared up through his goggles at the tower. He'd never thought he'd be there again. Seeing the place of his imprisonment didn't exactly feel good. It was like there was a creature inside him, shrieking at the mere sight of the building. At the same time though he was eager. His heart knew that Sephiroth was in there somewhere. Was he waiting for the blonde? Did he really have a plan to end the war? Or was he just going to wipe out the opposition once and for all? So many questions were racing through Cloud's mind and he didn't have a single answer.

A small shift beside him made Cloud glance over. Reno was crouched beside him, a far away look in his eyes. After all, this wasn't any easier for the Turk. He'd be fighting a lot of friends that day. Cloud was his brother so there'd never been any doubt or regret about following him. That didn't make fighting his one time fellow Turks any easier.

Krysta too was lost in thought. It hadn't escaped her notice that Zack would be in the battle. Her heart clenched at the mere thought. She'd only barely been able to fight him the first time. How much worse would it be now that he knew who she was? It wasn't like they could just avoid each other. In battle you fought whoever happened to be closest. Only people like Sephiroth could simply wander a battle field, looking for his own opponent.

The radio crackled to life, making Cloud's eyes flick to it. He knew the clock was counting down and his teams would be reporting in now. Still, he was tense as one by one his friends sounded off.

_Barret here. We're on the north side. Ready to move._

_Cid here. In the air, ready to cover ground troops. Ready to move._

_Tifa here. We're on the west side. Ready to move._

_Nanaki here. We're on the east side. Ready to move._

_Vincent here. I'm in the lower part of the tower. Ready to move._

_Hiya guys! Yuffie, grand master ninja here! I'm in the upper part of the tower, utterly bored, and can't wait to move out! I'm so ready over here!_

Shaking her head in amused irritation, Krysta picked up the radio. "Krysta here," she said. "We're on the south side. Ready to move. And while I'm at it, shut up you bloody monkey." A chorus of agreement's met her statement and Cloud had to chuckle. He knew Yuffie only did that to make everyone loosen up before a battle and it worked. His nerves were much calmer but still there. Taking one last look up at the tower, Strife tenses. He knew the seconds were ticking down and he had to be ready. Suddenly, far off in the city a bell started to chime noon. As soon as the gong was struck for the twelfth time Cloud surged forward. He was vaguely aware of Krysta and Reno beside him as his eyes zeroed in on the gate before him. It fell with a single swing of Tsugri and the alarms went off.

The battle had begun.

-}-

With a final sweep Cloud managed to disarm his opponent. He quickly knocked the SOLDIER out before moving on. His blue eyes swept the area, taking stock of the situation. So far everything seemed to be going well. AVALANCHE was making good time and moving steadily forward. He couldn't see any major losses and none were being reported over his radio. But then again, this wasn't exactly a normal battle. The SOLDIER's weren't fighting back at all. They were all sticking solely to defense. That's why Cloud had sent out a general order not to kill anyone. He wanted to figure out what was going on.

A sudden flash of movement was the only warning he got of the next attack. Luckily he managed to get Tsugri up and blocked the other blade before it could hit him. Still, his eyes widened in shock when he saw his next opponent.

"Zack?"

The raven smiled tightly and nodded. He shifted their swords so that the two men were locked together. Cloud could feel Krysta near by but she didn't move to him. She was waiting to see how it would play out.

Leaning forward, Zack whispered, "Act like you're driving me back. No matter where I go, follow me. Once we're inside I'm gonna turn and run. Chase me. Don't let anything stop you. Just keep going. Bring Krysta and Reno with you. Got it?" Cloud thought for a moment before nodding.

"Got it," he grunted before pushing the man away. He paused long enough to signal for Reno and Krysta to follow before attacking Zack again. As he said he would, the raven started falling back. Cloud just followed, keeping his senses open for any traps. None came as they finally reached the tower itself. Zack paused enough to nod before turning and running inside. A slight sense of foreboding fell on Cloud but he shook it off. Without another thought he charged in, following the SOLDIER. He knew Reno and Krysta were behind him as he took off after Zack. It was hard keeping up with the older man as he twisted and turned through the halls. A couple times all three pursuers were positive they'd lost him. But then he'd pop up again, waiting for them to catch up. This insane version of tag on went on for a few minutes more before Zack finally slowed to a stop. Coming up behind him Cloud was about to demand answers when he saw who was before them. Gulping, he slowly moved out from behind Zack and lowered his hood.

"Sephiroth."

The General nodded, his face blank and unreadable. Behind him stood Angeal and Genesis, both rather formal as well. Tseng stood across from them, leaning nonchalantly against the wall. His eyes were for Reno alone and he was a bit surprised to find his star Turk actually serious. It wasn't something he'd ever seen before. None of the men of power moved as Zack went to stand beside his mentor. They just watched Cloud as he, Krysta, and Reno watched them. It was ultimately Sephiroth who stepped forward first. He saw Krysta tense but other then that she was still. If Masamune had been out she would have moved in front of Cloud but without she was willing to trust him. But how far would that trust go?

Slowly, trying to avoid startling any of them, the General held out his hand. There was a small keycard in it which Cloud took just as slowly. The blonde held the card gently, knowing it had to be important. Still, his eyes never left the Generals. He couldn't even claim it all being on wariness. He just didn't want to miss one second of being with the man he loved.

Sephiroth must have felt the same because he smiled and nodded slightly. In the back of his mind Cloud heard Krysta gagging and his eye twitched. He shot back a mental rebuke over her reaction. She just smirked and replied that she and Zack weren't at the stage he and Sephiroth were so she still had the ability to be disgusted.

"That keycard is for the door down this hall," Sephiroth suddenly said, catching everyone's attention. "You'll know what sort of room it is as soon as you get there." Cloud frowned and opened his mouth to ask but then slowly closed it. He'd trusted the man this far. What was a little farther? So instead he nodded and moved to go by. Everyone shifted to the side so the three rebels could run by. Zack waited till they were out of hearing before sighing.

"I hope we're doing the right thing," he said sadly

Trotting, Cloud went down the hall. He knew his friends were at his heels and felt oddly safe. His mind seemed incapable of being afraid just then. That all changed the instant he saw the door. It wasn't all that impressive of a door. Simple stainless steel with a keypad. Since there were no hinges it probably slid into the wall but that was fine. A lot of doors in the tower did that. Still, at the sight of the door both Cloud and Reno tensed and froze. Krysta pulled up short, trying not to run into Cloud. She opened her mouth to ask what was going on but closed it at the sight of their faces. They all stood there for a moment longer before Cloud gulped.

"Hojo's lab," was all he said. He felt Krysta tense but couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from the door. Beyond that simple door lay the den of all his nightmares. The cause of every scream. It was his personal hell. And apparently the love of his life had given him the key to go in there. Now the question was why.

"Let's go in," Reno said, his voice rough. He was no more anxious to go in then Cloud but he also wanted to get this over with. Unlike Cloud and Krysta he knew Sephiroth wouldn't have given them a key without an excellent reason.

Nodding tightly, Cloud walked forward like a wooden man. Slowly, oh so slowly, he slid the keycard through the keypad. A beep sounded and the doors slid apart. Inside they could hear the hum of computers and the sounds of the creatures within. The blonde couldn't suppress a shudder at the onslaught of memories but then he squared his shoulders and walked in. Reno followed instantly while Krysta brought up the rear. The three of them walked through the lab, trying to avoid looking around. A couple times they would see some sort of creature terribly mutated and would have to look away in pain and disgust. Once, Cloud even saw a creature that he had fought against as a boy. How it was still alive after all these years he'd never know. Just as it was getting to be to much they walked into the very center of the lab. Instantly Cloud's and Reno's eyes hardened at the sight. Krysta merely clenched her teeth as the man before them turned around. It was she who growled out his name.

"Hojo."

"Yes, yes, what do you want?" the greasy man before them asked, his nasal voice instantly raising their hackles. "I'm a busy man and can't be bothered at the moment." Cloud stepped aside a little to let the monster get a better look at him.

"Remember me?" the blonde asked, his voice dripping in sarcasm. Hojo glanced at him for a moment before his eyes lit up.

"Why, specimen S! How wonderful to see you again." He failed to notice how all three stiffened at the phrase. "And is that specimen R? Oh what a wonderful day. I've been wondering where you two went off to. I have so many experiments I want to check on from you two." As the man moved forward he was suddenly met by Tsugri's sharp edge. Cloud's eyes were steely as the forced the professor back.

"We're not here so that you can check on us," he said softly. Feeling his emotions, Krysta stepped back. This wasn't her battle and she wasn't welcome. Instead she watched with guarded eyes as Reno took her place. It irritated her that Hojo was acting so nonchalant about the whole thing. He had a freaking sword pressed to his neck. How could he not be worried?

"You wouldn't dare kill me," Hojo scoffed. "I'm too important to this company and this world. There isn't a single person in the world that would lift a hand against me."

Well, that explained why he wasn't worried. He was an egotistical maniac. Or maybe idiot was a better term.

"You're mistaken," Cloud said quietly. "I couldn't care less what happened to this company. It could fall, dissolve, go bankrupt, or be renovated into a chocobo breeding farm. All I care about is you. You and getting revenge. Do you remember all you put us through? Do you remember the baby you stole from me? The forced transformation you forced Reno through? The seven years of torture we lived through at your hands? Cause we remember. We remember everything. Every blow, every strike, ever needle shoved in our arms, ever cold night in that cell, ever excruciating second in the mako tubes. We remember it all and we have a bill for you."

For the first time a flicker of fear passed through Hojo's eyes. He seemed to finally realize they were serious. But before he could say anything else Reno and Cloud acted at the same time. A shot rang out and Hojo stared at them for a moment before his head fell of his body, his neck cleanly cut and a hole in his forehead. When the body hit the floor all three stared for a minute before Krysta shrugged.

"About time," she said simply. The two boys could only smile tightly as they saw the source of all their pain lay dead before them. They stood a moment more before turning and leaving, never to return. As they twisted through the halls once more Cloud suddenly started picking up the pace. About to ask why, Krysta suddenly spotted Sephiroth a bit before them. Cloud saw the General at the same time and broke into a run. Ignoring the shocked looks all around him the blonde shot right into his lover's waiting arms and buried his face in the man's chest. His body shook as he tried to stifle his sobs but when Sephiroth held him close and stroked the blonde's hair he lost it. Cloud finally cried and screamed for all the pain that had replaced his childhood. Tseng held Reno as the redhead did the same. In the end Krysta just rested a hand on her friend's back before walking off, Zack at her heels. Now that Hojo was dead there was no reason to keep fighting.

The war was over.

XxXxXxXxX

_Babble time: So how did yall like it? Hojo is dead! Everyone celebrate. Only a couple chapters left till the end of this story. Sad, sad day that will be. I love this story so much I wish it would just go on and on and on. To bad it has to end eventually. On to the reviews!_

_Sheneya: Yeah, a lot of people had trouble with that part. Can't say I like it to much myself. There was a reason to my madness. That doesn't mean I enjoy it._

_Kurosaki9: He died! Hope you're happy now. And yeah, Seph got to talk to Aubry. I thought it would be really cute_

_Dawn chase: Hey, I'm not against you. I was just thanking Cloud for making you shut up and breath. One of these days you're going to run out of breath and faint from oxygen deprivation. Although if you keep hugging Seph he just might kill you._

_UltimateNinjaOfDoom: It's okay. Whenever people read about triplets in FFVII they instantly assume its Kadaj and his brothers. I wasn't actually mad. And yeah, I thought it would be nice if he had two daughters and two sons._

_Vampirelove00: Yes, I'm back. I never leave for extended time without warning. Or, at least, I try not to. If I'm suddenly kidnapped by my youth group to go somewhere I obviously won't have time to warn anyone._

_Dragi: I missed you too. I'm glad you thought the chapter was cute. I actually have no idea what Cloud threw Seph so we'll just say it was a piece of paper with his number. That's as good a thing as any._

_Darkwhizper: The triplets are…about three weeks old. I know there's no way a three week old baby can talk but hey. Its fantasy and she's jumped up on mako so she's talking now. After all, she's wonder baby as Reno called her. I'm glad you like the chapter!_

_4LLi3: Lol, there's no law that states when you're allowed to be happy for fictional characters. Just be happy for them all the time._

_Articuno13: We all want him dead. And dead he is._

_CreotiaFlayier: It's okay, I liked having BOB there. I just wish he wouldn't meow in the middle of the night. o.O Best chapter yet? Alright then. The Puppet Master's Puppet? Is that a story on here?_

_Thanks for reading! TTFN!_


	22. Marry me?

Heaving a sigh of relief, Cloud signed his name for the last time and shoved the stack of papers away. He stretched like a lazy cat before smiling at Krysta who sat across from him. She echoed his smile, having finished her paperwork a while before. Both had the same thought on their minds just then.

"Tomorrow we sign the peace papers," Cloud whispered, his eyes softening. After Hojo's death the fighting had ceased. He'd learned later that it had been Sephiroth who had ordered the SOLDIER's to not fight back. They were to keep alive and keep each other alive but not kill the enemy. At first the ShinRa Company as a whole and the general public had been outraged. They'd never thought their General would betray them like that. But then Sephiroth had told them about what Hojo was doing to humans. He never made any reference that could be traced to Cloud or Reno but he told the people everything. Even the fact that Hojo had made an eight year old boy give birth. After that the people were in uproar. ShinRa had had to resign quickly and flee, hoping not to be caught. Not a day later Sephiroth and the other general's had contacted Cloud, saying they wanted to officially end the war. Now, after a few months of politics and arguing, they were nearly there.

"Let's go out to eat," Krysta said suddenly. "I want some of that jungle food. Cid told me about a new restaurant that opened in Midgar. It's got a lot of Gongaga food and I want to try it." Cloud just arched an eyebrow at her.

"Cravings?" he asked. "One would think you're pregnant." Instantly, Krysta blushed, making the blonde smile. "Well then, I certainly hope Zack is going to make an honest woman out of you."

"Shut up," she hissed but there was a smile on her lips. She'd learned only five days before that she was pregnant. Aerith was royally pissed at her but it was okay. It wasn't like she couldn't handle it. Now all she had to do was tell Zack he was going to be a father. That was going to be interesting. "Just get changed and let's go. Oh, and bring the babies. They need to get out." Nodding, Cloud did as he was told. In a few moments he was ready, as was Ian and the babies. The small family met Krysta at the main door and went out.

It was odd at first, suddenly living in lower Midgar. The two rebel leaders still tensed whenever they saw a SOLDIER or Turk walking around. It still hadn't sunken in that they were no longer at war. They wouldn't be attacked anymore and didn't have to fight. Sure, they still watched their backs and had their weapons in easy reach but only idiots didn't.

Reaching the restaurant, Cloud ducked in holding Kitrin while Ian was at his heels with Aubry. Krysta came last, balancing little Sachiel in her arms. She scanned the crowd for a moment before spotting the people she was looking for. Grinning evilly, she snagged Cloud's arm and dragged him to one of the private eating rooms, ignoring his protests. He continued to struggle as she pulled him in, not noticing the other people in the room at first.

"Hello Cloud."

Freezing, the blonde looked up in surprise before smiling in joy. "Sephiroth!" In a second he was across the room and in the man's arms, careful not to squish Kitrin. When he finally pulled back he noticed that Krysta was snuggled under Zack's arm while Reno was sitting beside Tseng. He'd questioned his brother about that. Apparently the redhead had just started a relationship with Tseng when Cloud was captured. That sort of put the whole thing on ice but they were starting to rebuild it. Considering they were sitting with hands intertwined he was willing to be things were going well. Still, he turned from them and glared at his Le'Tran. "You set me up, didn't you," he growled playfully. She just laughed and nodded. The blonde made a show of turning his back on her, enjoying it as everyone laughed. After so long at war he liked making people laugh instead.

Sephiroth gestured Cloud to a seat but just before he took it the blonde realized something was missing. Startled, he looked around, trying to figure out what. At first he couldn't see anything but then he realized they were short two people. Turning back to the door he saw Ian standing to the side, nervously chewing on his lip. Instantly everything fell into place. The little boy was worried that the SOLDIER's were going to take him back. He was, after all, ShinRa's son. So he didn't want to enter but at the same time he didn't want to leave Cloud.

Quickly, Cloud handed Kitrin over to a surprised Krysta before hurrying to the door. All the chatter in the room stopped as he let Ian hide behind him. Crouching down he pulled the boy in for a hug. They were like that for a minute before Krysta was suddenly beside them. Her arms were full with the babies but she let Ian lean against her. They were all quiet for a moment before Ian pulled back a little.

"They won't take you," Cloud promised softly. "I lost you for eight years; I'm not letting you go again."

"We won't let them hurt you," Krysta promised firmly. "You're too precious to us." Ian snorted and she kneed him gently. "Not because you're a ShinRa, brat. Because you're Cloud's son and Denzel's friend. So relax." Ian was still a little tense but nodded. Slowly, Cloud stood back up, letting the boy hide behind him once more. Reno was suddenly there as well, standing behind Ian with a small smile. The little boy smiled back as Cloud shifted his weight.

"Have you all met my son Ian?" he asked like it was the most natural thing in the world. At first no one moved but Zack finally stepped forward a bit and smiled at the boy he'd once called Rufus.

"Hello Ian," the raven greeted, getting a timid smile. That was the only opening needed for the others to come forth and greet the boy. Every one used his correct name and made sure to give him some space. It also seemed that no one minded when he refused to leave Cloud's side. Once that was done Cloud took Kitrin back from Krysta and took a deep breath.

"This is my youngest child, Kitrin," he said. Just then Kitrin cooed and reached for his hair, making him jerk back. For a six month old baby she was freaking strong. Once he was sure she wouldn't manage to grab one of his spikes he pointed to Krysta and the baby she carried. "That's Sachiel and he's my youngest son." Sachiel just nodded and curled up into Krysta's chest. Finally, Cloud turned to Ian and smiled gently, pointing to his baby. "And that's Aubry, my oldest daughter and the oldest of the triplets." Aubry acted as she always did, watching everyone. But as soon as her eyes fell upon Sephiroth they lit up and she reached for him. "Da!" she said excitedly. "Da! Da!" Sephiroth glanced at Cloud who nodded before leaning forward to take the girl. As soon as she was in his arms she snuggled into his chest and sighed happily. No one in the room could do anything but smile at the sight.

Just then Kitrin screeched, not liking that the attention was not on her. Cloud rolled his eyes good naturedly before moving to sit down. In moments they were all seated and looking over the menus, chatting and laughing amongst themselves. Cloud and Sephiroth sat a bit apart with only the children around them. The blonde was so busy trying to decide on food for both him and Ian that he didn't notice Sephiroth watching him. No one knew that just then the General was thinking about how this was the life he wanted. A life with his love and their children, doing things normal families did. Sure, he would stay a SOLDIER and that would lead to certain differences but was it so bad to want to be able to come home to a spouse and kids? Nervously he played with the box in his pockets. He'd intended to ask Cloud to marry him that evening as soon as Krysta had told him about arranging the whole thing. What he hadn't planned on was Cloud bringing the kids. The blonde was so obviously happy with his children; would he want to let Sephiroth into their life?

Seeing the conflicted and worried look on Sephiroth's face, Krysta sighed. She'd known the General was going to ask Cloud to marry him. Actually, she'd been depending on it. She wouldn't feel right being a wife and mother if her Sh'Adi wasn't married. Yes, she'd stay Cloud's Le'Tran till she died but at least if he was married she wouldn't have to worry about him so much. Sephiroth would protect him just as much as she would. But now he obviously doubted some angle and just may back out. What angered her most was there was nothing she could do about it. It wasn't like she could force him to ask or force Cloud to say yes. So instead she decided to give them a little nudge.

"So Reno," she said teasingly, getting everyone's attention. "When are you and Tseng going to make this relationship thing official?" Reno choked in surprise while Cloud chuckled evilly. Everyone else just smirked and laughed as the redhead tried desperately to breathe. Once his breathing evened out he glared at the girl across from him.

"None of your bloody business," he growled. "How would you feel if I asked when you and Zack were going to make it official?" Krysta and Zack glanced at each other before shrugging.

"We already have," Zack drawled. "I asked her to marry me a week ago." Everyone clapped as Cloud gave Krysta a one armed hug. He'd known of course. She'd been so excited she had run straight home to tell him. Yes, he was a little disappointed that he'd be losing her but at least she was happy and living her own life. That's all that mattered.

Suddenly, it was Ian who looked up at his mom. "Are you ever going to get married ma?" Sephiroth stiffened at the question but no one beside Krysta noticed. Cloud just smiled back at his son and shrugged.

"I'd like to get married," he said. Unbeknownst to him, Sephiroth relaxed. "If it was to someone I really loved and who I knew loved me back. And of course, they'd have to love you four. We're a package deal after all." Ian just laughed and went back to playing with the babies.

Just as the waiter came in Krysta managed to catch Sephiroth's eyes. 'Do it now,' she mouthed before turning to the waiter and placing her order. Once all the orders were made Sephiroth stood and stretched. "I'm feeling a little cramped," he said. "The owner said the view from the roof is amazing. Anyone want to join me?"

"Sure," Cloud said with a shrug, getting up. After sitting at a desk all day he was very stiff. No one else moved though so the two went up alone. Zack noticed the happy look on Krysta's face as they left but didn't comment on it. He also wanted his boss to hurry up and ask the blonde to marry him.

Up on the roof Cloud leaned against the rail. He had to admit, the view was nearly perfect. Sure, there were more buildings then he liked but beyond them he could see open country. The wind in his face didn't stink of filth and mako like it used to and he could actually see the stars. All in all he was a happy man. He was an ecstatic man if you took into account that he was sharing all that with his lover.

"Cloud?" The blonde turned around to face Sephiroth. He was a little surprised at the open nervousness on the man's face. The surprise only grew when the General shifted, like he was unsure of what he was doing. "I was watching you with the babies," the silver haired man said quietly. "You…looked so natural with them. Even though you are still so young yourself. Around your children it's like you're a different person. A good sort of different. And I've seen you on the battlefield. You were always looking out for your men and you sacrificed a lot for them. That's not even taking your time as our prisoner into account. From the moment I met you as Strife until now and probably beyond you've been a mystery to me. You were the first person that actually caught and held my attention. And…you were the first person I ever loved. When you escaped from the prison I was torn. Then, when I learned who you actually were, I realized I'd do anything to get you back. Now you're here and I don't want to lose you."

Cloud gasped when Sephiroth suddenly went to one knee. His eyes teared up as the love of his life pulled out a small box and flicked it open to reveal the most perfect ring he'd ever seen.

"Will you marry me, Cloud?" Sephiroth asked in a quiet voice. Time stood still for a moment as the two men stared at one another. It was like Gaia herself was holding her breath, waiting for the blonde's response. And just when despair fell on Sephiroth Cloud's face broke into a grin and the tears escaped. He fell to his knees and grabbed the General in a desperate hug.

"Of course I will," he whispered into the man's ear before pulling back and kissing him. They weren't sure how long they stayed like that before reality came back in. Sephiroth put the ring on Cloud's finger, whispering, "Mine," as he did so. For the first time Cloud didn't mind that someone was claiming him. He wanted this man to claim him. It was all he'd wanted since he'd escaped from the tower.

Finally pulling apart the now engaged couple went back downstairs hand in hand. When they walked into the private room they found Angeal and Tseng kneeling near an apparently unconscious Zack. Krysta was just leaning on the wall nearby, shaking her head with a fond smile on her lips. Her eyes met Cloud's and he raised a brow at her.

"Told him?" he asked. She just smiled and nodded making the blonde chuckle fondly. "Stupid Zack."

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_Babble time: (cries) I can't believe it! The next chapter is the last one! After so long I'll finally be closing the story. Sad day my friends. Sad, sad day. But do you want a sequel? I think I could do that. Actually, I think that'd be fun. I'll put up a poll and let you all vote on it, okay? On to the reviews!_

_Vampirelove00: Yeah, Reno and Tseng are a thing. It's not as obvious as the others are but it's there._

_Darkwhizper: Lol, I'm glad you're so excited about my story. It's always nice to get people that are anxious to read. Makes me feel good._

_Dawn chase: Yes Seph, that was necessary. And I am worried about if you get a concussion. I'm just saying that you're asking for it. That's all._

_Kurosaki9: Hojo is never not cocky. Or should I saw was? Anyway, that's why I made his part so short. I just don't know how to write cocky bastards. No hair pulling yet but there probably will be some next chapter. The last one. (sobs)_

_UltimateNinjaOfDoom: I agree with absolutely everything you said._

_CreotiaFlayier: Seph doesn't forfeit his job; he just works around it. But other then that, Aubry is really happy to see him. The others will be too when they get older. They're just too young right now to really understand._

_Dragi: They are all ecstatic that Hojo is dead. Everyone is, just as it should be._

_Thanks for reading! TTFN!_


	23. Listen to your heart

Unable to stop himself, Cloud glanced down at his arm yet again. He still couldn't believe that the rope was actually bound against him. It was so unreal he kept expecting it all to be a dream. That he would wake up and the past…was it really two years? Anyway, he thought for sure he'd wake up and the past two years would be just a dream. He'd still be sixteen and leading a helpless fight against Sephiroth and ShinRa. Maybe he'd wake up in the infirmary, after having taken a blow to the head. That would explain his strange dream. But then he'd see the gold rope and would relax. It wasn't a dream. He was truly here, bonded to the General.

Satisfied that he wasn't dreaming, the blonde let his eyes wander the room. It was filled with noisy people, each one celebrating his bonding in their own way. Meaning Cid and Barret were drunk, Tifa and Aerith were scolding them, Vincent and Nanaki were somewhere in the shadows and Yuffie was Gaia knows where pissing someone off. Of course, there were plenty of SOLDIER's there as well, congratulating their General on his bonding. They were still a bit awkward around the former AVALANCHE leader and the same was true in reverse. Of course, he'd had a good laugh with Kunsel about the night on the obstacle course. That had been fun.

Seeing Krysta in the corner with Zack, Cloud had to smile. His Le'Tran certainly had a baby bump by then. Still, she and Zack weren't planning on bonding until the spring time which came in about a month. Sephiroth had specifically chosen the end of winter for his and Cloud's bonding. Apparently the season was very important to him for some reason. Really, Cloud didn't mind. It was at this time of year that he felt more like he was home. He hated Nibelheim with a passion but he loved the mountain. It was his dream to move back there and raise his family on the same land he'd grown up on. Or rather, the land he should have grown up on.

Feeling the darkness descend, Cloud shook his head violently. He would not think about…that man tonight. For the love of Odin, it was his bonding night. All he should be thinking about was getting his mate alone.

Speaking of which…

Seeing Reno nearby Cloud nodded once with a small smile. The redhead instantly knew what his little brother was doing and smiled back. He wouldn't mind taking care of the babies for a night. After all, with Krysta busy with Zack and Cloud now on the hunt those poor things would be all alone. Maybe he could convince Ian to let him take them all out for a ride. No…even if Ian said yes Cloud would kill him. Reno enjoyed living to much to risk it.

Knowing Reno would take his kids for the night, Cloud went in search of his mate. He knew the older man wouldn't be far. Hell, he'd hardly let the blonde out of his sight since the peace papers were signed two weeks ago. Now, on the night of their bonding, he couldn't be far…right?

"Cloud."

Right. Cloud smiled as he felt those arms he loved wrap around his shoulders. Instantly he leaned back into the touch and looked up. "Hi Seph," he whispered huskily. His body was reminding him that he hadn't had sex for over a year. What would it take to convince his new husband that he wanted to be in their room right now? When he felt the bulge in the body behind him he smiled even wider. Not much apparently.

"Take me to bed?" he asked. Sephiroth shifted, a little uncertain. Surely it was too early to leave, even for someone as awkwardly social as he was. But when he felt the smaller body of his husband tremble against him he decided that he didn't care. He'd been celibate for a year and he wanted to end that. So he took Cloud's hand and led him away from the reception. It didn't take them long to reach the elevators and jump inside. For a moment the General considered starting things right there but the elevators were to fast and they reached his floor in no time. It was a little disappointing but he took it in stride. After all, it wasn't like the lack of trip actually influenced his plans.

The second the two men were in his apartment Cloud nearly jumped up to lock lips with his husband. He felt the older man's tongue instantly and happily opened his mouth. Most nights that kiss would end up a battle but on this special night Cloud surrendered without a fight. Just like back at the beginning, he wanted to be dominated. He wanted Sephiroth to control him and take away all his ability to choose. That was the one time he was allowed to be weak and he wanted it.

And Sephiroth knew what his husband wanted. He could feel the aching desire pressed fully against him. So it was with little preamble that he stripped his lover right there in the entry way. Belatedly he remembered to reach behind him and lock the door. It wouldn't do to have Zack or, Gaia forbid, Krysta to walk in on them.

Cloud was suddenly tugging at the older man's clothes. "You have too much on," the blonde complained. Then he blinked and when he opened his eyes his mate was as naked as he was. Bloody mako. Bloody show off while he was at it.

Getting an evil idea, Cloud smirked. "Catch me," he hissed before bolting. Sephiroth was caught off guard enough he didn't react right away. Then, upon realizing what his love was doing, he growled and took off after him. He had to admit, it was a good hunt. His little blonde was fast and good at squeezing through small and tight places. There were times he was sure he'd managed to pin the boy down only to realize he'd lost him yet again. It was no wonder Cloud had led AVALANCHE at such a young age. He was a natural at hide and seek slash tag. But eventually Sephiroth managed to grab him and pinned the boy to his chest. They were both breathing heavily by then but that just made Sephiroth ache all the more for his love. So, with no more preambles, he threw the blonde onto this bed before pinning him there. With ease he held the younger man's hands with one hand, the other snaking down to spear his blonde.

Cloud arched into the touch, already moaning. Gaia, how did he go a year without this? All the thoughts and memories of his rapists were washed away by that one touch. This was his love; the one man he'd given his heart to. It didn't matter that the man had a finger shoved up his hole. It didn't matter that he was about to fill Cloud with something much bigger. It didn't even matter that the man had already gotten him pregnant once. None of that mattered because it was Sephiroth and Cloud loved Sephiroth. Maybe in some ways he always had. He's certainly admired the man long enough.

All other thoughts flew away as Sephiroth pulled his fingers out. He lined up with Cloud and was about to thrust when he paused. After so long and with so much changed he wasn't sure what Cloud wanted anymore. He didn't want to disappoint his blonde but at the same time he wasn't sure how to proceed. Luckily, Cloud seemed to at least understand him. The blonde brought his legs up and wrapped them around Sephiroth's waist, pulling him closer.

"Fill me," he hissed, pulling the man down to his chest. "Shove into me and fill me. Dominate me. Make me feel it in every part of my body." He licked his love's ear, noting the shiver. "Remind me that I'm yours."

Growling, Sephiroth snapped his hips forward, burying himself completely. He felt Cloud tense for a second and heard the grunt of pain but just held still. It wasn't long until the blonde was moving against him, asking him to move. He complied, slowly at first but growing faster with each thrust until he was pounding into Cloud. Everything else faded from existence. All that mattered was the writhing body beneath him and those moans of his name. For a second his eyes met Cloud's and they stared at each other for that second, both eyes shining with love alone. There was no mako or foreign matter within them just then. It was just the two of them, merging together at last.

Feeling the pressure growing, Sephiroth growled. He didn't want it to end so soon. But then Cloud was there, holding him, stroking his back, asking him to release. How could he refuse his blonde? So with a hoarse cry he let go, instantly flooding the body beneath him with his sperm. The sensation proved too much for Cloud as he also came, arching his back as the length inside him continued to pulse. It was the most powerful orgasm either had ever had and they were helpless but to go along for the ride. Finally, as the wave of pleasure finally faded, they both collapsed into a heap. Their bodies were so intertwined that an outside person would be hard pressed to tell where one ended and the other began.

Quiet breathing was all that could be heard in the room until Cloud chuckled suddenly. Surprised, Sephiroth arched a brow at him, making the blonde smile.

"Leta t yon rel," he whispered, laughing at the look of confusion on Sephiroth's face. "It's in the ancient Cetra language. Krysta used to tell it to me all the time. Actually, she made me memorize it just before I went and let you catch me. Funny, it took me all these years to figure out what it means."

"And what does it mean?" Sephiroth asked as he kissed his blonde between the eyes. Cloud wrinkled up his nose at the action but didn't complain.

"Listen to your heart. That's what it means. And that's what I'm doing. I'm listening to my heart."

Smiling, Cloud cuddled up beside his husband, taking a deep breath. It finally hit him that he was going to be waking up to this smell most of the rest of his life. That was such a pleasant thought he took another deep breath just to savor it some more. He didn't realize that Sephiroth was also memorizing his scent. Nor did either man notice when the other faded into sleep. It was because of that that Cloud did not automatically feel the spark of life flare within him.

-{-

"I'm going to kill him!"

Krysta just smiled as Cloud paced the room before her. The blonde was fuming and cursing his husband who just happened to be absent. Good thing too since just that morning Cloud had found out he was pregnant once again. Really, Krysta was starting to pity Sephiroth. He was going to have his hands full when he came back from this short trip to Junon. Oh well, at least she wasn't going to be dealing with the hormonal blonde this time. Let the one who caused the problem pick up the pieces.

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_Babble time: The end! Although I may go back and include the bonding scene. I just did a big wedding scene in my other story so I wasn't to keen on doing one here. Sorry. But if enough people want to see it I'll include it. So how did you like the ending? Cloud is pregnant once more and Sephiroth is a walking dead man because of it. Seriously, Seph, ever here of protection during sex? Lol, just the epilogue to go and then this story will end. Just like so many others. (Sniff) I'm gonna cry. On to the reviews!_

_Vampirelove00: Hmm…I'll think about the sequel. School is in two weeks and I already have another story in progress and two new ones planned. May be hard to squeeze in a third but I'll try._

_Dawn chase: No Cloud, a ring is not an illegal weapon. Sorry. And sorry to you too Dawn. Cloud can be sort of protective of his mate._

_Darkwhizper: its meets. Lol, just so you know. Eww…that would be wrong. Reno is Ian's uncle. Uh…skipped the wedding/bonding but I can add it in later if enough people want me to._

_CreotiaFlayier: Yes, the other babies love their daddy. They just aren't as aware as Aubry is. Actually, Kitrin turns into a totally daddy's girl. It's sort of cute._

_Kurosaki9: Umm…cheesy is bad I'm guessing. Don't moms always ruin the mood? I'm writing this out and suddenly my mom asks if I'm thinking about basic training because I'm smiling. Way to kill the mood mom! Krysta can be evil when she wants to be. Hell, so can Cloud as Seph is about to find out._

_Dragi: I can't honestly picture Sephiroth babysitting all three babies on his own at any time. He'll probably either use Zack or get someone to help him. No, Zack was ready to be a father, just not prepared. Sort of shocking when your girlfriend tells you she's pregnant. Not that I would know. I'm a girl. :P That would be just a little awkward,_

_UltimateNinjaOfDoom: Cloud would have worn the dress if I'd written it. But I didn't. Should I change that?_

_Thanks for reading! TTFN!_


	24. The endright?

Sighing, Cloud leaned back against his chair. The breeze was warm on his face as he basked in the sun. From where he sat he could hear the birds calling and the nearby river. Most of all though he could hear the heartbeat of his best friend and the second heart beat within her.

"So when are you due?" he asked. Krysta smiled gently at him, her hand on her stomach.

"Got another month to go," she said wryly. "After that Zack and I are going to be laying down some serious ground rules. This is our eighth child after all. How about you? How does it feel to have yet another child?"

Groaning Cloud threw the girl a glare. "Seph is lucky I love him so much," he muttered. "But I'm putting my foot down this time. Twelve kids are more then enough, thank you. Although," his eyes softened, "it's funny. When I find out I'm pregnant yet again I get so angry and I'll cuss out anyone I see. Seph especially. But then once I've given birth and holding the baby in my arms I can't imagine anything else. I honestly can't imagine my life without a single one of my children."

The two fell into silence, enjoying the peace and solitude of the mountain. They weren't far from Nibelheim; maybe thirty minutes. Sephiroth had bought the land and built a large house just for Cloud and the children there. Sure, the house had been added on to as Cloud just kept having more kids. Though both men complained about the sheer number of children all their friends knew otherwise. The truth was that both men loved having all those kids. They were both in love with children. Probably because neither one had had much of a childhood.

Just then an alarm went off in the kitchen, drawing Cloud out of his reverie. "Cookies are ready," he said, standing up with a small wince. His body was still sore from giving birth only four days before. Gaia curse it, if Seph got him pregnant one more time…

Knowing what her Sh'Adi was thinking, Krysta smiled. The General was going to have to be really careful now. You could only press Cloud so far before he exploded. That was a lesson she and AVALANCHE knew only to well. Maybe it was past time Sephiroth learned it as well.

By the time the pregnant girl got to the kitchen Cloud already had the cookies out and was setting them to cool. He nodded to one of the more comfortable chairs which she sank into with a grateful sigh. For a moment she wondered why the smell of cookies wasn't drawing the kids in before she remembered that Reno had taken all the little ones for the day. Only the older were still at the house and they were actually scattered around the property. Well, most of them were. A select few were missing altogether. Speaking of those kids…

"Have you heard anything from Aubry?" Krysta asked, taking a sip of her tea. Aubry and her oldest son, Ashmit, had gone with Ian on some official meeting with Wutai. Aubry was Ian's Turk bodyguard and Ashmit was his SOLDIER escort. They'd been gone for a month now and she was starting to worry.

"I have," Cloud said, fiddling with something on the stove. "She called just last night. Things are finally wrapping up and they expect to be back soon. Although your son may be brought up on murder charges." If she had not felt the obvious humor in her Sh'Adi she would have panicked. As it was she just rolled her eyes at the blonde, making him smile. "Seriously. Aubry said he's about three steps away from murdering Kanaye. According to her reports the boy is more annoying then his older sister, Yuffie."

"That is impossible," Krysta grouched darkly. "No one on the planet is more annoying then that bloody monkey. The world would self-implode if that happened."

Just then footsteps could be heard, making both adults fall silent. It wasn't until a blonde head poked around the corner that they smiled. "Hello Sachiel," Cloud greeted.

"Hey ma," the teen replied, his eyes already on the cookies. Laughing, Cloud just picked one up and offered it to the boy. Of course, instantly after that he had to grab another to give to Kitrin who had been standing behind her brother. The two teens munched on their treats, not speaking. That was a miracle considering how they had been as children. Constantly talking and, worse, arguing. There had been no peace in the house for years. Cloud, Sephiroth, and Ian all proved powerless in the war between siblings. In the end it had been Aubry who'd ended it. Despite the fact that the oldest girl was rather quiet and reserved she had blown up. She'd screamed at her siblings for hours, releasing years of pent up frustration and anger. Since then the two children had been much more careful in expressing their displeasure with each other. Even then all it would take was a single glare from their sister to make them behave once more.

A sudden cry from upstairs had Cloud sighing and heading for the stairs. It only took him a moment to reach the nursery and duck inside. His newest child lay in his crib, crying in hunger. With practiced ease the blonde grabbed a bottle of formula and picked the boy up, holding the bottle so that his son would latch right on. It all went smoothly and in seconds the baby was silent once more as he drank. A gentle smile spread across Cloud's face as he watched. The boy, Luke, was so much like Aubry. Quiet, simple, and yet firm and focused. There was little doubt that he and Aubry would be good friends, despite the eighteen year difference between them.

Once Luke was done with his bottle Cloud moved to place him back in his crib when he froze. A presence was tickling his mind and he turned fully to it only to smile. Pure white fire. Aubry was home. Shifting the now sleepy baby in his arms the blonde nearly ran back down the stairs. Krysta hadn't reacted yet nor his two older children so he knew his daughter wasn't actually there just then. But her fire was growing brighter so he knew she was close. So, without telling the others, he left the house and started jogging down the road. It didn't take him long to see the ShinRa truck heading his way. As expected, Ian sat up front, Ashmit at his side. However, Cloud's eyes were for the person on top of the truck alone.

Aubry saw Cloud the same moment he saw her. With a happy cry she leapt off the truck and raced to him. She was as fast as any SOLDIER and outracing the truck was child's play to her. Although it was a little awkward to grab her mother in a hug when he was holding a baby. Not much more awkward then tackling him with a hug when he was pregnant but still.

"You're back early," he said but didn't let her go. Both knew he wasn't complaining; rather he was just stating fact. Nevertheless, Aubry pulled back slightly to look him in the eye.

"Yeah," she said flippantly, unconsciously pushing her bangs out of her eyes once more. "Ian was getting horribly homesick and wouldn't quit complaining. Honestly ma, I thought you taught him patience after you got him away from the tower!" Cloud could only chuckle helplessly. Ian had never been and would never be patient. Aubry should know that by now. He was about to tell her as much when he realized her mind was now on the baby in his arms. Gaia above, this girl could act like she had the attention span of a four year old.

"Who's this?" she asked, her eyes soft and gentle. She always did like meeting her younger siblings.

"This is Luke," Cloud introduced, offering the small bundle. Aubry took the baby gentle, shifting so that he was held properly. She didn't coo over him or babble to him in baby talk. No, that was her siblings' job. Instead she just stood silently, watching him. There was a small smile tucked into her mouth that made Cloud smile himself. It was rare to see even that from her. Really, his little girl was so much like her father. It had been a bit of a shock that she had chosen to go into the Turks instead of SOLDIER. At least, it had until she told him that she was shooting for the top and didn't feel like ousting her father as head of SOLDIER.

Just then the truck finally reached them and stopped. Ian leapt out, groaning in a mixture of pleasure and pain as he stretched his legs. Cloud just watched him fondly, having a hard time remembering the man before him was already twenty-seven. That just reminded him that he himself was thirty-six. He really wasn't looking forward to his fortieth birthday. Actually, coming to think about it, Sephiroth's fortieth birthday was only in a couple days. He'd have to hurry and plan the party. But that could wait for now.

"Hello ma," Ian greeted, gently giving Cloud a hug. Being the head of ShinRa had made the bright, exuberant boy more reserved but nothing would stop him from hugging his mother. He always claimed that he was making up for the eight years they hadn't been together. Really though it just felt nice to still have a parent that loved him. He'd never be able to forget the pain and torture his father had put him through but Cloud helped a lot.

Pulling away, Ian finally spotted the baby in his sister's arms. Instantly he was at her side, looking down at his new brother. He couldn't help but smile at the thought. Gaia above, he was in his late twenties and his mother was still having kids. Sephiroth was going to have to back off eventually. Although, really, he wasn't actually expecting it to happen. For all that Cloud griped and cursed and complained he could never refuse his husband. Thus the eleven siblings he had, all rather annoying pests in his opinion. Well, okay, that was a lie. He got along rather well with Aubry, Christina, and Zion. After all, Aubry was his official Turk bodyguard. Christina was the first female SOLDIER and Zion, though only thirteen was already an excellent secretary and the two men loved working together. It was just everyone else that Ian rather avoided.

"I think you'll like him," Aubry said suddenly, speaking to Ian but not taking her eyes off the baby. "He seems to have my temperament." Well, then yes, he probably would like the new baby. Anyone who acted like Aubry wasn't too bad.

Silently, the three walked back to the house. By the time they got there Ashmit had already been dropped off and was hugging his mother tightly. Cloud noticed the look Ashmit and Kitrin shared and shook his head, grinning. He had no doubt the question would be popped soon. Sachiel was already engaged to, of all people, Yuffie's daughter, Kimiko. Hell, even some of his slightly younger children were in rather solid relationships. Only Aubry was still single, as she had been all her life. She kept claiming that she wasn't against men. She just…well…was waiting for the right guy. Apparently Sephiroth knew who the 'right guy' was but he refused to tell Cloud. Something about the blonde being worse then a mother hen when it came to their children. Well, Cloud couldn't really argue with that.

As the sun began to set more and more people started arriving. By the time dusk was upon them the house was packed and everyone was having a good time. After all, it was the anniversary of the peace between AVALANCHE and ShinRa. That was something worse celebrating. Well, for most of them at least. Cloud was on the sidelines, watching with a small smile on his face. The smile was largely due to the fact that Sephiroth was behind him, holding him close. Neither man had to speak as they watched their friends and families mingle. They both pretended not to notice that Ashmit and Kitrin were sneaking away but Cloud knew he would speak to Krysta about it. Neither of them actually wanted their children to make a move without being married. That was a recipe for disaster.

Sighing, Cloud closed his eyes and leaned fully against his love. The years had had their rough points and there had been times everyone was sure they'd split up but somehow they'd always made it through. Now it seemed like it was all smooth sailing and he was looking forward to it.

Gentle lips met his and Cloud opened his eyes to stare into the jade green of his husband. He smiled and kissed back, losing himself in the feeling. When he pulled back for a breath he tried to force some strength into his voice. "I'm not having anymore children," he said, hoping for a strong voice but it came out more like a breathy moan. Sephiroth just chuckled and kissed the blonde again. "You said that seven children ago," he reminded his mate. Cloud just scowled at though but was smiling inside. True. He had said that.

"I'm getting to old to be pregnant," the blonde insisted. "Seriously; I've had twelve children and I'm only thirty-six. Eleven of them are yours; isn't that enough?" Sephiroth didn't reply, he just kissed the blonde again. The very act made Cloud frown. Normally his husband would have made some remark. Maybe sarcastic, maybe condensiding, maybe even serious. Silence wasn't the answer unless he actually had something mind. With that though the blonde actually pulled out of his arms. "Tell me," he ordered, his eyes hard as sapphire's. Krysta sent him a wave of concern, feeling his irritation. He just sent back his irritation at Seph and she withdrew. She was very careful of interfering with a lover's quarrel.

Sephiroth sighed, clearly not happy. Finally he pulled Cloud close again so that his mouth was right next to the blonde's ear. "I always wanted a lot of children," he whispered, catching Cloud's attention. "It started back with Hojo. Actually, that's the only thought that managed to keep me sane. So my goal, once I got out of the labs, was to someday have fifteen children I could call my own. That's all." Cloud stood still for a moment before sighing yet again and burying his face in his mate's shoulder. He was silent a moment more before smiling slightly.

"Four more kids," he said quietly. Sephiroth tensed until Cloud pulled back with the smile still in place. "Alright, I think I can manage that. But after that, that's it. No more. Deal?"

"Deal," Seph promised before pulling Cloud back to his chest. Honestly, didn't his mate know that was where he belonged? If the chuckle was anything to go by then yes, Cloud knew. He just loved to irritate Seph. That was fine. After all, they had the whole night for him to teach the blonde why it was a bad idea to irritate him.

XxXxXxXxX

_Babble time: And that, my friends, is the end. Yep, that's right. The end. As in finished. As in, I'm never adding anything else to this story. Guess what? I've finally decided to do a sequel. I was able to think of a following to this story that didn't threaten to destroy what I'd already written. So now my question is, who wants me to actually write it? I have a poll up right now or you can just message me; whichever is easier. Just please let me know! You have…I'll give you a week, alright? That should be enough. Also, keep an eye open for my new FFVII story. I've gotten a bit tired of making Cloud pregnant. In my new story, 'I'm not cut out to be a mom' Zack is the lucky mommy. That ought to be fun. On to the reviews!_

_EeepEeep: Lol, thank you very much for the compliment. I always end up with a lot of lurkers but at least you wrote in the end. That makes me very happy. I hope you enjoy this final chapter and I really hope you like my future stories._

_Vampirelove00: Yep, Seph is a walking dead man. Well, not really as he is still alive here but yeah. Things are a little strange to say the least._

_Darkwhizper: Yeah, most of the time I'm all for Reno and Rufus. Just not this time. I'm sorry it's ending but maybe I'll post the sequel. Would you like that?_

_UltimateNinjaOfDoom: Strange, when I asked Cloud what he did to Sephiroth he just blushed while Seph glared at me. Although they both agree with you and Cloud will not be wearing a dress if I ever do, do the bonding scene._

_Dawn chase: Seph took care of everything, never fear._

_Kurosaki9: Yeah, Ian was about nine then. Four kids is nothing though; now he's dealing with twelve. Well, granted, some are like Aubry and her siblings; old enough to care for themselves. Still, that's a lot of kids. Oh good, I'm glad it was good cheesy. And yeah, I guess people would tell me if it was bad cheesy. See you soon!_

_Dragi: And thus ends the fic you inspired. Did I do a good job? I hope so. Anyway, since it is sort of your story do you want to sequel? Or should I just end it there?_

_BrokenAngel1816: YEAH! YOU'RE BACK! I thought you left me. Lol, I'm glad you liked it so much. Yes, I'm planning a sequel but it's not set in stone yet. If you want me to do it I suggest you vote. That's easier then tallying up reviews or messages. Thanks again for all your reviews! And since I now have three new FFVII stories planned I hope you'll join me again soon._

_Shadow of the Forgotten Ones: Oh relax. Seph handled himself just fine._

_Thanks for reading! Goodbye!_


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